Sacrifice
by ChemistryMoogle
Summary: What if the one person who could set things right was your enemy? What would you give up in exchange for what you lost?
1. Chapter 1

Sacrifice

Chapter I

* * *

Two years after the departure of the remnants, Lord David found himself on the Yamarn Plain east of Athlum. War had brought him back to this spot yet again as he led Athlum's troops across the continent. Night had fallen hours ago, but he was unable to sleep. The land here seemed to breathe memories into his mind, and he would not fight them off, for these were memories he wanted to relive at any opportunity. Memories of Rush and Emma, and of an era that seemed to have been gone longer than two years. The smell of the greenery here made him feel like he was returning to a different life. One that had been laid to rest that he desperately wanted to awaken.

"Is Lord David awake?" He heard the familiar voice of Torgal from outside his tent's entryway.

"I do not believe so sir," the guard posted at the door replied quietly.

"Come in, Torgal," David called from his bunk, raising himself up on his hands. He heard a shuffling of feet outside as he slid his feet off the bed and planted his elbows onto his knees. His body suddenly felt exhausted from not sleeping, and he rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands. He heard Torgal enter and stop near the door.

"Yes?" David asked, his voice sounding hoarse.

"An intelligence report from Bloctor concerning movement of the rebellion has just arrived. I thought if you were awake you may want to take a look at it. Are you alright?" Torgal asked, eyeing him.

"Yes I'm fine. Could you just read it to me?" David replied as he stood and made his way to the kettle and cups set on a small stool. Pressing his palm against the metal he closed his eyes for a brief second in concentration. "Spark." He pulled his hand quickly away from the kettle as it began to whistle, and poured two cups of tea. When he turned around he found Torgal's eyes still on him.

"We don't always have to do things the old fashioned way," David muttered, a small smile crossing his face. Torgal accepted the cup of tea and took a seat at a small table within the tent. David seated himself across from him.

"Reports from all major cities from the past 48 hours are showing similar activities. High ranking members of the rebellion can no longer be located by our scouts. After collaborating with intelligence members from Celapelais and Ghor we have confirmed through them that they must indeed be on the move. Given the current situation we have not been able to see if Elysion is aware of their locations."

"This isn't good," David replied, setting his tea down on the table. "The rebellion must be preparing to strike a city while we are responding to the collapse in Elysion."

In the two years since the remnants had disappeared, the world had undergone many changes. Collapses began to occur sporadically within cities that had once had guardian remnants over them. With the increase in occurrences, the Lords had been forced to seek help outside their own armies in order to protect their city. All the major cities of the world had come together and an agreement had been made that if a collapse should occur in one city, all of the Lords would send support to help. Although the Lords themselves rarely accompanied their support troops, David had chosen to travel with Torgal, Emmy, and his troops on this occasion. Elysion's collapse had begun two nights ago, and although Althum had mobilized as quickly as they could, David hoped they could arrive in time to make a difference.

"I hope Athlum is safe," David added quietly.

Torgal placed his tea back on the table. David looked down and realized he had not drunk any of it. "Bloctor and Pagus are aware of the threat. That's why we left Bloctor there in the first place."

"Yes, you're right," David agreed with him. Bloctor had taken a great deal of responsibility in monitoring the rebellion and keeping Athlum safe. David was surprised when he volunteered to head up intelligence operations concerning it, but was pleased with the enthusiasm the yama put towards his new duties.

The rebellion had formed in the months following the disappearance of the remnants. Beginning in Nagapur which had remained without a Lord following Heirmein's death, a push for democracy sprung up in the city. Baluuk was next, which had been without a Lord for some time due to the two possible heirs' inability to choose one to ascend. Some of the people had began to question the need of a Lord for each nation when there were no more great remnants that needed to be bound to a soul. The rebellion was further pushed into creation as the result of an attempt to quell the uprising in Baluuk, which had resulted in subsequent fighting and the deaths of three innocent citizens. As the organization grew in size, members were now present in every nation. Over time, they grew more and more secretive, driven underground due to the suppressive reaction of the Lords.

Although out of sight, the rebellion continued to gather followers. Then to the shock of the world, they attacked Ghor Castle just over two months ago. Although loss of life in the fighting was minimal, the Lords were forced to now deal with the organization more aggressively. The known leaders of the group, two men and a woman, were hunted by almost every nation. While the two men's identities were known, the woman had remained elusive.

"Shall I reply to him?" Torgal asked, rising from the table to take his leave. David's eyes slid closed, the last words he had spoken to Emma flashing through his mind.

"Tell them I leave Athlum in their hands, but-" he paused, not seeing Torgal raise an eyebrow under his lidded eyes. "Tell them to be careful as well." Opening his eyes, he looked up to see Torgal's face soften slightly in understanding.

The sovani nodded and silently exited the tent. Only after he left did David reach up and rub his temples with his fingers. He felt exhausted, but his mind raced with concern for home. He ran his hands through his hair, tossing it messily as he rose from the table. As he turned away from the table, Torgal's cup of tea caught his eye. The general had not touched it. After grabbing the cup and tossing it into a corner of the tent, he collapsed onto his bunk with a sigh. His thoughts drifted to Bloctor and Pagus, watching over Athlum a day and a half away as sleep slowly overtook him.

* * *

Author's Note: This is going to be my first attempt at a lengthy story. I have a lot of hope for it, and hope that you guys will enjoy it. Updates will hopefully be not too far apart, I hope once I get it going it will come easily. Please review, favorite, or message me with questions, comments or ideas!


	2. Chapter 2

Sacrifice

Chapter II

* * *

Four days later, David, Torgal and Emmy led the march back to Athlum. Elysion's collapse had been a moderate one compared to some. Fighting had ensued from the moment they approached the city walls and had not ceased for three nights. When finally the ground had stilled and the last beast was slain, Athlum had suffered the loss of 23 soldiers. Now, as the troops marched homeward, they carried their comrades shoulder high.

The entire battle, David's thoughts had been of home. The report from Blocter had raised great concerns in his mind, and he had been unable to push them aside. No amount of self discipline could push the threat out. The rebellion had showed in Ghor that they were not to be taken lightly. Now, as they made their way home through a light rain, he felt like the journey was taking unnecessarily long.

When finally they crested the hill from which they could look down on Athlum, David breathed a small sigh of relief. Everything appeared to be in order. As they entered the city, the streets were lined with people awaiting the return of the soldiers. As soldiers and families were one by one reunited, David stayed with Torgal and Emmy near the entrance of the square, awaiting the arrival of the 23 that would not see their families again.

David stood silently as the crowd slowly dispersed. His eyes kept wandering back to a woman he had noticed immediately upon entering the square. She was older than him by possibly ten years, and stood with a blanket wrapped around her small frame. Her face carried a grave expression, and her eyes, which looked red and swollen, skittered around the crowd. Her hair clung around her face. She had been waiting in the rain for some time. As he watched, family after family around her was reunited with their loved ones and left while she remained, looking timid and scared.

Finally after a time, she cautiously approached Torgal, who held a list of the names of the fallen. She had begun shaking now, and her hands desperately clutched at the blanket around her. Her voice cracked as she spoke a name, and Torgal glanced at the list in front of him. It only took him a second to find the name and he lowered the list. She bit her lip and tried to remain composed as he raised an arm towards the rows of coffins and another behind her shoulders, and began to gently guide her to her loved one.

Emmy and David stood side by side, transfixed by the scene.

"She knew," David said finally, breaking the silence. "I think she knew before we even got here."

Emmy turned to look at him, but he refused to meet her eyes. "How?"

David shook his head. "I do not know. Maybe she felt it." He paused, and breathed his next words quietly so only she could hear. "I wish things didn't have to be like this."

They stood in silence for a few long moments after that, and when Torgal finally rejoined them, David suggested returning to the castle. He wanted to speak with Blocter as soon as possible.

Upon entering the audience chamber of the castle, he found Blocter huddled over some papers at a table to the side of the room. He did not noticed David's approach until he was standing right next to him, peering around his massive arm to look at the documents.

"Ah, welcome back my Lord," Blocter said quickly, bowing his head slightly.

"I am glad to be back," David replied. "Now, what is going on with the rebellion?"

Blocter gathered up the papers on the table into his arms. "Let us move into the conference room," he told David.

Fifteen minutes later, Blocter had assembled all the documents needed, and David had called for tea and toast to be brought to the room. After Torgal had joined them Blocter had quietly dismissed all the staff, and closed the doors of the room.

"Why the secrecy?" David asked before Blocter could begin. Blocter's face grew grim before he replied.

"I'm concerned about the rebellion infiltrating the castle," he said. David raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "I figure it's just better to be safe than sorry," he explained quickly.

"Fair enough," David replied, nodding. "I understand. So what is going on?"

Blocter explained over the next half hour what had happened during their absence. Like in the report that had reached them on the Yamarn Plains, the major leaders of the rebellion had disappeared. The two men, one a former congress aide and the other a scholar, had been last seen together in Baaluk. The men had disappeared a week ago and had not been sighted in any other city. Baaluk had become a safe haven of sorts for the rebellion due to its continued political turmoil over the controversial ascension of its new Lord. The feuding heirs had been unable to come to agreement for so long a time that the Congress had finally intervened and chosen one.

"The woman on the other hand," Blocter said, barely able to suppress an annoyed grunt. "I'm starting to form an idea of who she is, but I'm not sure yet."

"Oh?" inquired David, looking up from thumbing through the papers in front of him. "What are you thinking?"

Blocter seemed unsure if he wanted to continue. David had seen this look numerous times over the past year as the yama was overseeing the surveillance of the rebellion. The young general's enthusiasm did not make up for lack of experience in such affairs, and Blocter was well aware of the fact.

"An informant managed to tail her through the market in Elysion a few weeks ago," Blocter said, digging through a stack of papers to find the report. "He followed her as she purchased some food from a vendor. He noted that she spoke with a particular accent. An accent found only in a small rural area in the far east, near Veyriel. Although that is not much of a lead, if you consider the fact that she, according to informants, is highly educated…that got me thinking." Blocter paused, taking a breath and meeting David's eyes. He remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"What could bring a foreign girl from a rural area into Elysion, give her an extensive education, and give her cause to support such a political organization?" Blocter finished quietly. David knew immediately where this thought process was leading.

"The academy."

Torgal shifted in his chair at David's response. "That theory gains further support from the fact that we have been unable to identify her, as academy member identities were classified before the war and destroyed following the dissolution of the academy." The sovani mused aloud. "Why have they not been arrest and brought in for questioning?" He asked, picking up an artist's sketch of the woman and looking at it thoughtfully.

"Because although approximately 40 members of the rebellion raided Ghor, none of those three were actually sighted there," David said, disdain evident in his voice. "And they wore battle helmets that obscured their faces anyway. We only identified the ones that died in the fight after the fact." He added, tossing the papers back on the desk in annoyance and pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"Is that all?" David asked after a moment of silence.

"No," Blocter replied gravely. David's hand fell from his face. "I suspect Celapaleis will be their next target. "

His words hung in the air for a moment before Torgal spoke. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, going back to the idea of the woman being from the academy; what if they're raiding cities whose castle vaults hold the sealed files of the academy?"

"That's very little to go on," replied David.

After the war of the remnants, and the people who were present at the defeat of the Conqueror had explained to the Congress what had occured, it was decided that the academy was to be dissolved. All research materials and documents had been divided between four cities – Athlum, Celapaleis, Ghor and Elysion – to be sealed in their castle vaults. The Sykes had been instrumental in the division of documents and items, so that no one city had any full part of research information. All three parts of every document, paired with a cipher, were required to complete any single page of information. To further prevent any possible future collaboration of that information, the identities of all members had been completely destroyed to prevent researchers from being sought out in the future.

"Well, that will do for now. Send a message to Celapaleis to be on their guard, but there is nothing else we can do at this time." David instructed Blocter, who gathered the papers from the table and left the room. Torgal and David sat in a contemplative silence for a time after that before the sovani rose from the table.

"If it is alright, I shall be leaving the castle and heading into town for a bit tonight. There is someone I'd like to speak with."

"Of course," replied David. "I think I will retire for the night anyway."

Torgal saluted and left the room. David stayed for a while longer, unable to keep his thoughts from turning over everything Blocter had just told him. Could the woman helping lead the rebellion really be a former academy member? The thought caused his stomach to turn in apprehension. This thought kept him up as he lay in bed later. That night, he dreamed he was standing in water up to his knees, and watched as Athlumian coffins the size of leaves flowed down river.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes:

A question was posed as to why all the remnant documents wouldn't be destroyed. I don't see why they would, as they have no way of knowing if the remnants will or will not return and may need it in the future. Also, some academy members dedicated their lives to that research; in addition to already putting these people out of a job, destroying everything they'd worked for would probably cause more tension between the researchers and the Congress.

* * *

Sacrifice

Chapter III

* * *

Over the next few days, things returned to normal within Althum Castle. David had received the news the day after his return that Celapaleis' troops had returned, and that no attack had occurred on the city while they were in Elysion. Although slightly relieved, the worry still drifted in and out of his mind as he resumed his duties.

As he and the generals gathered in the audience chamber one afternoon for a meeting, he noted the absence of one of the four.

"Where's Pagus?" he inquired.

"Resting, my Lord. He sends his deepest apologies, but he did not feel well enough to attend," replied Emmy.

David's brow furrowed. "Ah, well. No need for him to apologize," he replied, making a mental note to visit him later.

The meeting carried on uneventfully. Intelligence regarding the rebellion showed that the two male leaders of the group had resurfaced in Baaluk. At the mention that the woman was still missing, David noticed one of Torgal's ears give a peculiar twitch. Though he glanced at the general through his peripheral vision, he said nothing.

After the meeting, David headed towards his private office. He wanted to review a few petitions before dinner was served. As he sat himself behind his desk and poured himself a hot cup of tea, he suddenly remembered Pagus. As he contemplated getting up he found himself unwilling. His inability to sleep through a night was beginning to catch up with him. Sighing, he rose from the desk and opened a nearby cabinet. He withdrew a whiskey bottle from it and yanked the cork harshly.

_Later if he's not at dinner, I'll go see him. _He thought to himself as he poured some of the liquor into his tea. Seating himself back at the desk, he began to read.

David opened his eyes to a grey sky above him. Thunder rolled loudly, and seemed to echo forever into the distance. The wind blew violently through his hair as he sat up, whipping strands into his eyes. Through them he could see towering figures in the distance and beyond them lightning cracked. He blinked, trying to figure out where he was. Then as the thunder suddenly became quiet for a second, he heard a voice on the wind.

He climbed to his feet and spun around wildly, searching. He could suddenly feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He knew that voice. He could never forget it. He drew breath into his lungs, the cold air stinging his throat.

He opened his mouth to call out, but the wind howled even louder, and he could not even hear his voice himself. Panic began to overtake him as he stepped forward. He knew he was here, he had to find him. He tried to yell again but only silence came from him. He couldn't leave him here. He drew in another breath.

"Rush?!" David cried out into the empty quiet of his office. He was at his desk, slumped backwards in his chair. His heart was pounding just as it had been in the dream, and he laid a hand over his chest as he tried to slow his breathing. His heart sunk as he realized it was just a dream. After a few seconds he reached for the cup of tea that was in front of him. It was still warm.

"My Lord?" he heard from the outside of his door. There was a noticeable edge of fear in her voice.

"Come in, Emmy."

The young general opened the door quietly. Her face appeared first, her eyes slightly wide. David briefly realized that she looked six years old again; like when they were children.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," he replied, too quickly to seem casual. His face felt like it was on fire, and he rose to pour her a cup of tea, as well as attempt to hide his red complexion. She accepted the cup eagerly, and when she took the cup from him he noticed her fingers trembling slightly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, keeping his voice calm. He seated himself back behind his desk as she took a seat in front of him.

"Well, yes. Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you something."

"Go right ahead."

"Well," she started, looking down and fiddling with her cup.

"For god's sakes Emmy, we've known each other since we were babies. Just get it out," he teased her. She raised her eyes to him at his words and hesitated before finally beginning.

"Have you, uh…" she trailed off, chuckling lightly to herself. "Have you ever been-"

"Pardon the intrusion," they suddenly heard from the door, and Emmy jumped slightly in her chair. David could not help but wonder if Torgal had timed his entrance on purpose.

"Yes Torgal?"

"You're needed in the audience chamber immediately. There's something you need to see."

Emmy and David stood instantly and left the office. As they approached the audience chamber they could hear voices yelling. The only David could recognize was Blocter's. As they rounded the corner and entered the room, Emmy and David stopped short while Torgal continued to walk further into the room, unaffected by the scene in front of them.

Blocter was standing toe to toe with Jager. The yama towered over the former ally, and although his neck was craned to look upwards, Jager was arguing with Blocter without hesitation.

"I was told to bring her here! That's why!" the man exclaimed, his hands on his hips.

"That's ridiculous! Bringing her here makes Athlum a target of the rebellion! Why would we want her?" Blocter yelled back, balling his hands into fists.

David's attention only then was drawn downward to the floor near them. A woman was hunched over on her knees, her hands restrained behind her back. Her head was slumped forward almost to the floor, and her dark hair had fallen around her like a veil. A small puddle of blood was visible on the stone beneath her.

"He told me to bring her!" Jager's voice broke into David's thoughts, and he looked up to see him pointing at Torgal. He heard Emmy draw in a small breath of surprise next to him. As he took a few steps forward, the woman coughed quietly and groaned. As David came to a stop inches in front of her, she raised her head to look at him. The blood on the floor was running from a wound on her forehead, and her hair was matted and sticking to her face on that side. Her other eye though met his. They were a deep indigo, and they burned up at him.

"Put her in a cell. Clean her up first though," David finally said. She growled as Blocter grabbed her arm from behind and dragged her towards the castle holding cells.

"And if you please Torgal, don't send off bounty hunters without asking me again," he said quietly to the general. "That's where you went the other night, wasn't it?" The sovani's silence was enough confirmation for him.

Unseen to the both of them, Emmy stood still rooted to the spot she had stopped at on the way in, a look of mingled pain and shock still on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own The Last Remnant.

* * *

Sacrifice

Chapter IV

David could not quiet his mind. The capture of the rebellion woman was something he hadn't seen coming, especially since Torgal had taken matters into his own hands without his knowledge. He had known that Jager had chosen to reside in Athlum after the war had ended, but he had thought that he had moved on from being a man for hire for kidnappings and bounty hunting. He wondered how he'd been able to find her so quickly and bring her in. He needed to know where she'd been found, since informants had not been able to find her but Jager had. That paired with the fact that it had only been a few days since Torgal had spoken with him gave David an uneasy feeling. It implied that the she had been within a day's journey of Athlum.

He also planned on interrogating her before the day ended. She was being held in the lower levels of the castle, where rarely used holding cells were. And then there was the serious decision as to if Athlum would continue to hold her captive while it may pose danger to the city. At this point there was no real evidence to hold her here. David sighed tiredly at the thought of all this.

First things first though.

David raised his knuckles to lightly tap on the wooden door. "Pagus?" he called. He could hear the shuffling of feet behind the door and then it opened slowly.

"My Lord, please do come in," Pagus said quietly, opening the door fully and continuing to hold it as David entered the room. All of the general's quarters consisted of two rooms, an outer room that served as a sitting area, and a bedroom further within. Pagus' outer room was filled with bookcases of meticulously organized tomes, a desk that was strewn with papers, and a few comfortable chairs that were pushed near the fireplace. The fireplace was lit and cast a warm glow about the room.

David moved towards the chairs near the fireplace and noticed a small table next to one of them, upon it was a single book along with multiple potion and elixir bottles. He chose the other chair and lowered himself into it as Pagus slowly lifted himself into his. As he settled into the chair and pulled his robe tighter around him, David felt a small pang in his heart at the tired sigh he breathed from the effort. He averted his eyes to the fire as he began to speak.

"How are you feeling?"

"I apologize for missing today's business, My Lord-" Pagus began, but David cut him off.

"Don't apologize for that, I'm more concerned for your health."

"Ah, I will be fine, just a bit of an illness that I think will clear up soon," Pagus replied.

They were silent a moment before David changed the subject.

"We have the rebellion woman in custody." He watched as Pagus' eyes widened a bit in surprise.

"Really? How did that come about?"

"Jager brought her in," David replied, his voice revealing a slight disapproval of the method.

"Hmm, I had thought Jager was aiming to enter the political arena after the war. I'm surprised to hear he would randomly do such a thing," Pagus mused aloud.

"It wasn't exactly…random. Torgal evidently put him up to it," David told him, his voice again betraying him to express annoyance.

"Torgal only does what he thinks is right for Athlum."

"I know…I know. I just don't like things being-" David was cut off suddenly as Pagus began to cough harshly. He leaned forward in his chair and placed a hand over his chest as he shook with each cough. David leapt out of his chair and kneeled before him, placing a hand on the general's shoulder. He reached beyond the chair at the same time and reached for a glass of water that was on the small table.

"Here," he said, handing the glass to Pagus, whose coughing began to subside after a moment. As Pagus drained the glass of water, David rose from the floor and moved to stand near the fireplace. He crossed his arms over his chest as he turned away from Pagus to gaze into the fire. The pang in his chest that he had felt earlier had returned, much stronger this time.

The silence that fell upon the room was palpable. David felt as if they were both thinking of the same subject, but neither wanted to speak of it. Pagus' labored breathing and the crackle of the fire was all that was heard in the room. They remained silent for a long time before David slowly began turning around to face him. As he did so he saw the hundreds of books that lined the walls, and he found the ability to ask the question.

"Did you ever regret it, Pagus? Giving up the life of an academic?"

Pagus' eyes rose to meet David's, and there was no surprise or disbelief in them; only understanding.

"Why do you think it has to be one way or the other? Being a general has afforded me many opportunities to further my studies and interests. I would like to think that although in title I am a general, I am also an academic at the same time."

David could not help but notice that Pagus had completely avoided answering the question.

"I know though, when…" David paused, his voice cracking slightly. "When Rush was with us, and we travelled to Melphina, you met some old friends there. I didn't think anything of it at the time until Rush had returned from helping you and Maddox and Sibal. He said offhandedly that he had never seen you so happy, so…excited about anything before. Rush had only known us a few months, but his observation was completely right, and-"

"David," Pagus interrupted him. David fell silent as Pagus turned his head up towards him, fully looking him in the eyes.

"I have been in the service of Athlum for 36 years now. I did not hesitate to accept your father's offer to serve him, and I've never regretted that decision," Pagus stated very clearly, never looking away from David. The eye contact made him uncomfortable after a moment, and he looked away as Pagus continued on.

"I think it's common for people to think of how their life could be had they made different choices. I admit that I may think about that life – a life of travels and discoveries – but I never wish for things to be changed. And now I've come to a time where I have to face the fact that things may change which are out of my control."

David turned away at this, towards the fire again. His throat began to tighten as Pagus continued.

"My service to you may end soon, and that I think, may be the one thing I ever truly regret."

David did not turn around, only lowered his head in acknowledgement. Pagus had been present in the castle since before he was born, and had always been a favorite of his. Although he had no memory of it, Emma told him once about how he used to follow Pagus around incessantly as a child. When asked why, a young David would turn his face up to his inquisitor and reply, "He's my size!"

And now David stood, unsure of how much time remained for his friend. He swallowed a knot that had been building in his throat as he spoke again.

"If you'd wish it, I would release you from service. You could travel and see your friends. Spend this time in any way you'd like."

Athlumian law dictated the service terms of a general of Athlum. Not to be taken lightly, once made a general, the title was binding. Generals were generals for life, until their Lord released them or death took them. It was very rare that a Lord relieved them of duty.

"David," Pagus said quietly, pushing himself gingerly off of his chair and moving towards the fire to stand next to his Lord. "Indeed I would like to spend the rest of my time doing what I wish to do." David's eyes finally left the fire at this and he turned to look downward upon Pagus' face.

"If you'll have me, that is," the qsiti finished, peering up at David with a calm, small smile on his face. David sighed, both in relief and resignation, and slowly nodded his head.

"Of course."

"Good," Pagus replied, and turned away from the fire. "Now if it is alright my Lord, I think I need some sleep."

"Rest well, Pagus. And don't hesitate to ask for anything," David said, turning to leave the room. Pagus saluted slowly and watched as David left, closing the door behind him.

"Thank you, my dear boy. Thank you."

* * *

David rounded the corner of the hallway that held all the generals' quarters, his mind turning towards the woman being held 4 floors below him in the castle cells.

"What in the hell were you thinking? Are you trying to sabotage us?!"

David came to an instant halt. He recognized the voice of Emmy immediately, especially an angry Emmy. His brow furrowed; this was Torgal's section of the hallway. His eyes quickly darted around the hallway he stood in, wondering if he was confused. No, this was definitely Torgal's area.

"Sabotage you? Emmy, calm down and think reasonably," he suddenly heard Torgal reply to her, his voice even though louder than normal.

"A bounty hunter, Torgal? That's how Athlum gets things done now? Lord David will never approve of this."

"Emmy, consider your role. You are a general of Athlum. Athlum comes first in all matters. You should have seen very plainly in your mother that being a general is not conducive to relationships."

At Torgal's last words, David's mind flew back to the conversation he and Emmy had tried to have only hours before. She had been trying to ask him something before they got interrupted. But what? Relationships?

Before he could hear anymore, David heard the sound of heavy footsteps around the corner. He started walking again, not wanting to be caught obviously eavesdropping.

"Young master," Blocter said as he rounded the corner. "Glad I found you. I was just about to get Torgal to see if you'd like to interrogate the woman now."

"Yes," David said, keeping his composure although his ears suddenly felt warm. He hoped no one in the room would think he had been out here for long. "Fetch Torgal and I will meet you downstairs," he said, and without another hesitation he left Blocter in the hallway.

* * *

Some time later, after stopping in his chambers to wash his face, David arrived with Torgal and Blocter to the holding cells in the basement of the castle. The hallways in this level of the castle were below ground and therefore lacked windows. The cells were in constant darkness with the exception of candles that were spread around on small stools and tables. The cells had not been used in years, not since David's father had fought off an army on its way to Celapaleis.

The cell she was being held in was at the end of the hallway, furthest from the entrance. Two guards had been stationed in the middle of the hallway, and Torgal dismissed them, asking them to wait until called. As they came to the door, David saw she was seated at the small table in her cell that had a single candle burning on it. Her eyes met David's as he entered the cell holding two cups of tea. She did not take her eyes off him as he placed one of the cups down in front of her. The wound to her head had been cleaned and dressed, but she still wore the clothes she was brought to the castle in. A dark stain of blood ran down one sleeve. David then noticed the rusted bed frame behind her. There was nothing on it but a thin, dirty looking mattress.

"Blocter, call for a pillow and blanket please."

Blocter left to call for a guard as Torgal took a seat on the bed behind her and out of her peripheral vision. When Blocter returned he took a position at the entrance of the cell, unsure if his large figure could fit inside. The barred door remained open. David took a seat at the table across from her, taking care to maintain his distance from her. She smirked at him.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't try anything with a Sovani behind me," she said, her tone flat.

David ignored her remark, folding his hands together on the table. "We have some questions," he finally told her.

"No doubt." They fell silent as a guard entered the cell with a large blanket and single, lumpy pillow. He placed them on the table between her and David, and she reached for them immediately. He dismissed the guard and watched her wrap the blanket around her small frame while she tossed the pillow carelessly aside.

"Your name, for starters," David stated.

"Lenne," she replied, her eyes settled on him with a distinct look of boredom. It was almost possible to hear the name being seared into the memories of David and his generals, as this name was about to be searched for in every record the castle held.

"Alright," he replied, attempting to hide his annoyance at her refusal to give a last name. "Right to the point then. Who are you?"

She leaned back in her chair, breaking her eye contact with him. She seemed to be contemplating something, and for a moment almost looked completely careless that she was in a prison cell of a castle.

"A member of the rebellion, if you forgot," Blocter barked at her, his voice dripping with impatience.

"Yes, I am," she replied loudly, directing her gaze past David to the yama behind him.

"Why?" David asked, ignoring the bickering. Her eyes darted back to his as she raised her eyebrows. He watched as her face, which had held a light smirk, twisted and turned angry in the space of only a few heartbeats.

"The Lords for hundreds of years were deemed necessary to control tools of destruction, and all you did was create war. A thousand years of war!" She yelled, slamming her fist on the table. "All while hiding behind the façade of making some great sacrifice to keep the peace!"

"So the answer is another war?" David asked, his voice rising slightly.

"You had your chance! It's time the people took their futures into their own hands without you!"

"At the cost of more lives?" Torgal interjected. David could feel he was losing control of the situation. He knew an argument would be pointless. In desperation, he changed the subject.

"Why Ghor? Why attack there, a warrior stronghold, first?"

She scoffed under her breath and crossed her arms across her chest. She fell silent for a moment before Blocter spoke. "Answer the question, rebellion scum."

She rolled her eyes as she let out a heaving side. "The problem with having too many _men_ in charge of things; full of too much arrogance and ambition." David exchanged a glance with Torgal behind her before continuing.

"Did you hope to unseat Duke Ghor that easily?" David asked.

"It needs to be done. The Lords are not fit to rule."

"Don't you dare say that to Lord David!" Blocter burst out, moving threateningly towards the doorway of the cell.

"You'd have us praying on our knees to the tools of our own destruction!" She yelled back at him, leaning forward in her chair to match his hostility.

David shook his head side to side. "You're wrong."

She turned back to him, his tone making her fall silent a moment.

"The remnants were capable of good. A remnant is why we are _all _still alive, including you."

She seemed to consider this a moment, as she didn't budge a single inch in her chair. Her eyes were fixed on his and neither of them blinked for a time before she leaned forward, leaning her elbows on the table.

"I know what you're thinking," she started, her voice barely above a whisper. "But he was nothing but a mistake. An anomaly. All the others would have enslaved us without hesitation."

David felt like his heart had stopped beating in his chest. Rush's last moments were only known to those who were present and the Lords of the Congress. The defeat of the Conqueror was publicized to be at the hand of all of those there, not at the single hand of one man. He felt like he'd been hit in the stomach. They clearly had no idea who this woman was, and what they were dealing with. Still, he knew he needed to try and maintain control.

"Witnesses saw the Valeria Heart protect Emma Honeywell."

"Fool. Why would the Valeria Heart continue its forced servitude to you? The Conqueror was there to free it and it wanted to be freed."

"It tried to protect her-"

"It did no such thing! It knew why the Conqueror was there. It'd have killed Emma if it'd had the chance."

"Enough." David said, cutting her off. He was being threatened by an onslaught of doubt and nausea at the thought that the Valeria Heart, that Emma had always held so dear, may not have been trying to defend her that day.

"Where is the rebellion going to strike next?" Torgal asked, seeing David begin to struggle to maintain himself. She leaned back in her chair, away from the table, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I think I've said enough," she said slowly and calmly. "There will be no more until we negotiate my release."

David stared at her, his mouth slightly ajar. She did not look at him. Her release had never been brought up, and at this point he did not foresee it in the near future. He saw Torgal rise to leave, and sensing that no progress would be made from her today, took his leave as well without another word. As the three of them left the dark hallways, a sick feeling began to grow in his stomach. She remained a mystery, and they all sensed that they had gotten more than they bargained for out with her. Clearly, David thought, they would have to rethink their strategy to gain her cooperation.

* * *

Author's Note: This was initially intended to be 2 separate chapters, but I figured why not. I feel like her interrogation was a little over the top (drama wise). I dunno. Oh well.

Thank you to my lovely reviewers; Yukiko, Iseria, and Sorceress. Your feedback is very valued! Reading your speculations has very interesting! Blatant FFX2 name stealing here also.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own The Last Remnant

Author's Note: I haven't noted it anywhere in the summary, but this will of course be a D/R story. If it wasn't obvious by now, it certainly would be by the end of this chapter (seriously, I don't write any other type!). Thanks yet again to Yukiko and Sorceress for their reviews!

Sacrifice

Chapter V

"So? What have you found?" David asked, hands on his hips. He had just entered the room that held Athlum's archives to find Emmy, Blocter, and - to his pleasant surprise – Pagus pouring over documents and record books. It had been almost two days since the somewhat fruitless first interrogation of "Lenne," and the generals had been hard at work searching for any further information about her identity.

The generals all looked up at him, their faces all looking a bit haggard. Blocter's jaw hung unusually slack, and Emmy's normally neat hair looked ruffled with some areas sticking up at awkward angles. She looked as though she had fallen asleep on the table at some point.

"Nothing," she sighed, defeat evident in her tone. "Not a thing."

"We've contacted Elysion, but I fear because of the measures taken after the war that they may not be able to locate any Academy directors to question," Pagus added. David noticed that he sounded better than he had the day before when they had spoken. Pagus was always strangely delighted by research while most tended to avoid it at all costs.

"We do have another option."

They all turned to the door to see Torgal had entered the room.

"Where have you been?" asked Emmy, raising an eyebrow.

"Out in the city, listening," he replied shortly to her. David could feel some hostility between them, and he assumed it stemmed from the argument he had overheard in the hallway.

"What's our other option?" asked Blocter, oblivious to the sudden tension in the room.

David sighed, raising his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "The Sykes." He heard Torgal grunt in agreement.

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to that," Pagus said. "They made it clear that they wanted to move on from the Academy and spend as much time as they could with Irina."

After helping with the dissolution of the Academy, the Sykes had permanently retired home to Eulam Island with Irina. After the loss of Rush, a deep wound had been inflicted upon John and Marina's relationship. It eventually came out that Marina had never told John about discovering young Rush that day, nor that he had become a remnant. Still grieving for their son, along with being overwhelmed with guilt at having chosen work over their children for so long, their relationship deteriorated rapidly. They barely spoke during their work to close the Academy, and only reconciled after realizing how much they were hurting their remaining child by doing so. Once they were finished in Elysion, they had packed up and moved to Eulam the next morning. They had not been back to Athlum since.

David considered this carefully. The Sykes were top researchers at the Academy, and Marina had lived and worked there almost her whole life. Lenne only appeared to be two or three years older than David; if she was Academy, it would have definitely been within the last five or so years.

But at the same time…

"The last thing I want to do is cause them any more pain, but I'm afraid it might come to that," he told them. "Hold off for a few days before we make plans to contact them. Let's wait for Elysion's reply, and Pagus, if you don't mind, would you keep at it with our records?"

"Of course," Pagus said, smiling contently.

A knock came at the door over their shoulders. Torgal walked to it and opened it halfway to find a guard standing outside, holding a large envelope.

"For Lord David, General Torgal," the guard said, extending the envelope towards him. Torgal took it and thanked the guard before closing the door and turning back to the room. He looked down at the object, which was blank with no markings anywhere on it. David took a few steps towards him and extended his hand, in which Torgal hesitantly placed it.

Ripping the top open, David reached into the deep envelope and pulled out two objects. One was a piece of paper folded in half, and the other a piece of cloth wrapped around a small object. He opened the note as Emmy came to his side to glance over his shoulder.

**Negotiations**

The last words of his first conversation with Lenne came to mind. He had considered that the rebellion may offer some sort of negotiation for her, but he had thought it a very remote possibility. They seemed more than likely able to function even with one of their leaders in custody.

He willingly let Emmy take the note from his hand as he turned his attention to the cloth. He unraveled it slowly, the brevity of the note causing a feeling of unease to return to his stomach. He felt the layers of cloth around the object lessening, and finally he reached the last layer. He pulled the cloth upward, and the object fell lightly into his hand.

He knew what it was in that brief second before his eyes even saw it. He felt the small crystal's weight in his hand. He felt the thin, delicate chain slide between his fingers. And he heard the familiar jingle that he had grown accustomed to for a year, but had never noticed it until it was gone. His eyes darted down to his hand as he felt his breath catch in his throat.

He found himself staring down at Rush's talisman.

Something in David snapped. He turned away from the others and headed directly for the castle's cells, not heeding the calls to wait coming from behind him. He walked with the speed of someone on a mission.

When he rounded the corner of her cell, his eyes locked with hers, and the ferocity in his glare caused her to rise up from her bunk.

"There will be no negotiations," he growled at her through gritted teeth. Her eyes travelled down to his hand, where she could see the small chain of the talisman dangling from his tightly clenched hand. Her eyes lingered on it before slowly, a defiant grin rose across her face. She then met his eyes again and opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"Either you will cooperate with us or you will die in here!" he yelled from the other side of the bars, emphasizing the latter option of his ultimatum. The smug smile slid off her face, but she did not change her confident posture. They stood this way in silence, eyes locked on each other's. His throat was tight with a knot that had appeared the second the necklace had touched him. His face felt as if it was on fire as he glared at her. He briefly noticed that Emmy and Torgal had joined him in the hallway.

"Where did you get this?" he demanded. She stood her ground, staring continuously at him, and remained silent.

"Where?!" he bellowed, moving threateningly up to the bars as his voice echoed throughout the hallway. She jumped, startled.

Emmy suddenly appeared next to David, and he finally tore his eyes away from Lenne to see Emmy shoving a key into the cell door's lock. She flung the door open violently and stormed through it, straight up to Lenne, who had taken a nervous step sideways. Almost too quickly to see, Torgal and David watched as Emmy raised a fist and swung it downward into Lenne's jaw.

The hard packing sound of fist on flesh thudded in their ears as Torgal moved with an unnatural swiftness into the cell. He grabbed Emmy roughly by the arm and dragged her back into the hallway, slamming the cell door behind him. He continued to pull her down the hall and out of sight as David watched Lenne, who had crumpled onto the floor and was clutching the side of her face, hissing in pain.

"Now, tell me where you got this. I assure you Emmy is far from out of energy for more if you'd like me to call her back."

She glanced up at him and her eyes, which had been so defiant and angry, had turned nervous and scared. Her chin had begun to bleed, and she let the blood trickle slowly down her neck, having no cloth to hold to it. She looked at the floor and licked her lips hastily, her eyes fixated on nothing.

"Where do you think I got it?" she asked, her voice sounding suddenly tired. "From him."

David tried his best to ignore the leaps he could not stop his stomach from doing. He felt his blood rush to his ears and his cheeks burn. She was lying. She had to be.

"Tell me where you got this," he said, stressing every word.

"I already told you!" She screamed, peeling herself off the floor slowly and into the chair at the table. As her face moved close to the candle light David could see that she was incredibly pale.

He sighed. "If you cooperate with us, it wouldn't be like this," he said, his voice quiet but the threat still very obvious. They both fell into silence, their breathing the only sounds in the empty hallway. It was cold enough down here that David could see his breath. After a moment he slowly stepped forward to the bars, and gripped one with his empty hand. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was about to ask the question that had haunted him for two years, and this time someone knew the answer, although he knew she had no reason to be honest with him. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and strangled.

"Where is he?"

When there was no answer he opened his eyes and raised them to her. When he did, he saw something there he never would have expected to see. Her eyes met his, and there was a mix of sadness and pity in them. Her face portrayed at the same time a slight confusion, seemingly at her own feelings.

"He's with the rest of them," she finally said, hostility gone completely from her voice. She rose slowly from the chair and stepped around the table, moving slowly towards the bars. David did not move away from them. She opened her mouth to say something else, but quickly closed it again, second guessing herself.

"You've seen him?"

She took the final step towards him, closing the distance between them. She placed a hand on one of the bars opposite the side where David's hand rest, and leaned closer to him.

"Yes."

"When?" He asked, his voice filled with urgency.

"Years ago, right after it happened."

"How?"

With that last question, David realized he might have gone too far. Her brow furrowed and she sighed, dropping her hand from the cell's bar.

"Don't start to think like that. Understand he's not coming back…he can't be _brought_ back."

"But how-"

"By means that can never be employed again, the Congress saw to that." He watched as her eyes flickered over his face. David's mind began to race wildly as they stood, faces only inches apart. Her eyes were boring into his with an insistence that he should not pursue this any further than he already had.

Like hell he wouldn't.

After seemingly an eternity, he turned away from the cell and was surprised to see Pagus standing a few cell doors down, watching him. He had not heard the general enter, and therefore had no idea how much he had overheard. Although he knew he needed to speak with her more, David moved toward the exit of the hallway, motioning for Pagus to follow him. Once out of the hall, he turned to Pagus.

"How much did you hear?"

"Since you approached the bars. Although Torgal would call you reckless, I think we can learn a great deal from what just happened," Pagus said, his voice absent of any reprimanding.

"Meet me upstairs later," David said. "We'll discuss it in my office."

Pagus saluted as David headed upstairs. His mind was racing, turning over again and again what had happened, what had been said. She had seen Rush…he was alive! Rush…

Only after climbing a few flights of stairs did he realized he was still clutching Rush's talisman. He stopped on the steps, alone in the stairwell, and looked down at his hand. The crystal seemed foggy and lifeless, the green hue that he remembered it being completely gone.

Whenever Rush or the Sykes were mentioned he felt a pang in his chest, as if part of himself was missing. He had learned to function without letting this show over the past two years. But this time, holding the only piece of Rush he had after going two years without any, he could not stop a few silent tears that tracked down his face.

After a moment he opened his fist and slowly brought the crystal to his lips before looping the chain around his neck and tucking it into his shirt. He took a deep, ragged breath as he composed himself, wiping his face dry.

He finally continued climbing the stairs until he reached the floor that contained his office. He stepped down the hallway, feeling somewhat dazed, when he suddenly heard a sob from around the corner. He moved quietly towards the sound and slowly peered around the corner. He saw Emmy alone in the hallway, leaning against the wall. She was leaned forward, and he could see tears glinting in the sunlight as they fell to the floor. She was trying to suppress her sobs in the quiet hallway, but they were still loud enough to cover his footsteps as he approached her. He reached out slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Emmy?" He asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. She spun around towards him so quickly it startled him, and she flung her arms around his neck.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed into his shoulder, squeezing him tightly. "I just can't believe her! If she knew him, or what he meant to you…how could anyone be so cruel?!"

David had rarely see Emmy openly cry since they were children, but he knew when she cried like this it was hard for her to stop. He raised his arms slowly and placed a hand lightly on her shoulder, running it in small circles. He felt a tug at his heart at the thought that she was crying for him.

"It's okay, we'll figure it ou-"

"No! It's not okay! He made you so happy and now he's nothing but a pawn to her!"

"It's alright," he said, pushing her away from him by the shoulders to look her directly in the eyes. "We'll figure this out. Even though you weren't there to see it, that right hook of yours got her to talk a bit."

Emmy let out a relieved chuckle as she finally smiled at him. He smiled back at her as he took her hand and raised it to his eyes. Two of her knuckles were slightly bloodied.

"It was worth it, although I got a lecture from Torgal," she said, raising her other hand to wipe tear tracks from her cheeks. "So what did she say?"

"Come," he said, motioning her down the hall. "Wash up and meet in the conference room in half an hour. There's much to discuss."

Author's Note: The end of this chapter probably comes across as too sudden, but I promise there's a reason! I'm on a sort of mini-vacation starting tomorrow, and am aiming to try for another chapter over the weekend. I wanted to get this part out there, since I take so long between updates. Much love for reviewers!


	6. Chapter 6

Sacrifice

Chapter VI

* * *

Dusk was settling quickly on the lands outside Athlum. Early winter brought with it shorter days, and the sun's light faded quickly from the border where a young man crossed quickly from Celapaleis territory into Athlum. The silence of the land was shattered by his thundering footsteps and raged breathing. He sprinted as fast as he could, his head constantly turning to look over his shoulder. As he reached a hill he was slowed a bit and leaned forward to use his hands to help him up. His fingernails clawed at the dirt as he frantically scrambled to the top. His lungs burned and his legs screamed in protest but he ran on, fueled by adrenaline; the kind of adrenaline produced by fear.

* * *

David entered the conference room to find the generals seated together at the end of the table, all hunched forward and speaking very fast to one another. Their eyes darted between speakers, and they were barely aware that David had entered the room.

"She's academy," he spoke over them, catching all of their attention. "There's no doubt about it, Blocter was right."

Torgal's ears rolled slightly backward as he glanced up at him. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions-"

"She spoke a bit after you and Emmy left." He began, placing his hands on the back of a chair at the table and leaning forward onto it. "She said she acquired Rush's talisman from Rush himself shortly after the war ended."

"And you believe her?" Torgal replied.

"Do you have another explanation?" David asked, cocking his head to one side. Torgal fell into silence with the rest of them, as no one had any other suggestions.

"What else did she say?" Blocter finally asked after a time.

"That she got the necklace from him by some means that was destroyed by the Congress. She said it's been a long time since she saw him, which has to mean that whatever method she used was destroyed when the Academy was dissolved."

"That does seem like a plausible explanation," replied Pagus, giving David a knowing look.

After another short silence, Emmy spoke in a quiet, unguarded tone. "You really think he could be alive?"

"Yes," David replied, becoming aware of the talisman brushing against the bare skin of his chest under his clothing.

"Wow," Blocter uttered quietly under his breath.

"My Lord, may I speak with you privately," Torgal said, his tone hardly giving room for David to refuse him.

"Alright," he sighed. "A moment, please," he requested, looking at the other generals. They all rose from the table and exited the room without another word. David turned to Torgal, an expectant look on his face. Torgal drew a deep breath before he began.

"Although I understand that her contact with Rush has…personal implications, I just want you to remember that handling the Rebellion should be Athlum's first priority," Torgal spoke slowly. David raised his arms to cross them over his chest.

"I of course understand that, but remember that she _is _Rebellion. And -"

"I don't think-"

"Blocter was right about her belonging to the Academy," David raised his voice, cutting off Torgal before he could question him. "It's possible that the rest of his theory could be correct as well."

Torgal paused a second before speaking again. "You think they may be targeting the Academy vaults?"

"I don't know," David replied. "It's absolutely plausible. And whatever they're doing, she knows. Their plan can't be as simple as attacking a city and overthrowing its' Lord one by one, the other Lords wouldn't stand for it. It'd be suicide. There's something bigger going on here. We need to continue interrogating her."

"That may require employing harsher techniques than Emmy's fist," Torgal replied darkly.

David sighed, his shoulders slouching. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to that. She may be an enemy of us, but she is woman. And we, I'd like to think, are still decent people, even if we are living in an indecent time."

They both stood silently a moment, considering each other. As David's eyes locked with the Sovani before him, the argument he had heard in the hallway between he and Emmy came to mind. The thought of it caused his stomach to turn, and he couldn't push it aside any longer.

"This is a trying time for us. There is a threat that would like to see all the Lords be ridden of. This is not a time for us to turn on each other," David spoke, his voice strong and commanding. "This is also not a time to keep secrets."

Torgal's eyes, which had strayed to the side, snapped back to meet David's. When Torgal did not reply, David pushed further.

"There is a noticeable tension between you and Emmy," he said. "I have the feeling it's related to the woman down in our cells. What is going on?" He asked. He had elected to not mention overhearing the argument.

"That," Torgal started confidently, "is for Emmy to explain to you."

"Alright then," David said, uncrossing his arms. "If you'd please go and tell Emmy to come in, you and the others are relieved until for the evening."

Torgal hesitated a moment before turning towards the door. David raised his hand to rub the bridge of his nose as he heard Torgal speaking to the other generals outside. A few seconds later, Emmy appeared in the conference room.

"Yes my Lord?" she asked, saluting as she came to a halt a few feet from him. David had moved closer to the fireplace and was gazing into the flames. The sun was beginning to set over Athlum, and a chill was setting into the castle.

"You and Torgal," he began quietly. "What's going on between you two?"

Although he could not see her face, he could sense Emmy's surprise. "I'm not sure what you-"

"You've been hostile towards each other ever since that woman was brought in. What is it? Something having to do with Torgal? Or is it something to do with the woman?"

David turned around to face her as he finished the question. Emmy looked a little timid, clearly caught off guard by the subject.

"Neither really…" Emmy finally said quietly, her voice faltering slightly.

"Be honest Emmy," David replied, his tone expressing a slight, but growing, impatience.

"I am," she said, taking an unconscious step closer to David. "It's not about him, nor her."

"Then what is it?" David asked, turning away from the fire to look into Emmy's eyes.

She fell silent for another moment, and David could see she was considering something. For some reason she was frightened.

"It's Jager," she finally blurted out, and he could see tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

"Jager?" David repeated the name, caught off guard. "What about him?"

He watched Emmy as she stood, her eyes fixed to a spot on the floor. She took a deep breath before she finally spoke.

"We wish to be married."

Torgal's words that he'd overheard in the hallway echoed in his mind.

"_Being a general is not conducive to relationships."_

"Married?"

David looked to Emmy, his mouth hanging open slightly in surprise. Her shock the day the woman was brought in made sense now. David had completely forgotten about the other man in the room at the time, and had assumed she had fought with Torgal over the method by which Lenne had been captured, not the man. As understanding began to dawn on David, Emmy began filling in the rest of the gaps.

"We were waiting for a time when things quieted down with the Rebellion and the collapses to ask for your permission. He's a good man and has changed so much since the war, so I lost my temper with Torgal when he asked him to be bounty hunter for Athlum. Torgal knew Jager wouldn't refuse to do it for you even if it might have tarnished your opinion of him. He wanted to help you. But I swear he doesn't want to do those things for a living anymore, he doesn't…" Emmy trailed off, and David could see that she was desperately trying to prevent the tears in her eyes from spilling on her cheeks.

"I see," David said, and he could not stop his mouth from spreading into a large, genuine smile. Relief rushed through him at the thought that he had worried for nothing. Emmy, who was still looking at the floor, finally lifted her eyes to David when she heard him begin to laugh.

"My Lord?" she asked quietly as David's laughter filled the conference room. He only shook his head side to side and placed his hands on his hips.

"Of course you have my permission, and my blessing," he told her. "I only wish my father had given your mother the same opportunity."

At these words, the tears in Emmy's eyes finally spilled over. She felt overjoyed, like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she smiled widely at him.

"Thank you my Lord, thank you so much," she replied, kneeling before him.

"Not at all, I'm very happy for you." He took her hand as he told her this and pulled her up from the floor. "Let's plan a dinner tomorrow in celebration."

"Are you sure? With everything that's going on?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course. These may be hard times, but all the more reason to focus on the happier things that happen around us. Come now," he said, leading her towards the door. "I'm sure he can't wait to hear the news."

Emmy saluted him, a grin on her face that seemed to spread ear to ear, and then disappeared down the hallway. David leaned on the doorframe after she left, lost in thought.

_Emmy and Jager…who'd have guessed, _he mused to himself, chuckling slightly.

He stayed in the doorway for some time before finally pushing himself away from it, and he headed towards the generals' quarters. When he arrived at the door he was seeking, he tapped his knuckles lightly on the wood.

"Pagus? Do you have a moment?"

The door opened a few seconds later. "Always for you, my Lord."

David entered the quarters and glanced around. He immediately noticed that some of Pagus' many books seemed to be missing. The shelves that were normally fully lined with tomes had empty spaces scattered amongst them.

"Where have your books gone?" he inquired.

"Oh I just sent some to some friends, old favorites and such, for safe keeping."

David's stomach dropped at his words. The ease of which Pagus spoke about his preparations for the end of his life created a tightness in David's chest.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better now that I completed brewing a stock of purple Alev bud potion."

"But that is only for relief of discomfort and exhaustion, it's not a treatment."

"I don't seek a treatment," Pagus said simply as he pulled himself into his chair near the fire. "I have accepted that my time is coming, I see no reason to fight fate." He glanced up at David, whose face had a look of mingled shock and sadness.

"Come now my boy," Pagus said, motioning to the chair across from him. "I wanted to speak to you about Lenne."

David slowly sank into the armchair opposite Pagus, his general's sickness gradually being pushed out of his mind at the mention of the name.

"Torgal thinks we may need to employ harsher methods in questioning her," David told him.

"Yes, we were discussing that when you entered the conference room," Pagus began.

"Did you tell them everything that happened after Torgal took Emmy out of there?" David asked, apprehension in his voice. He knew Torgal would not approve of his lapse of judgment in approaching the bars of the cell and displaying any emotion to her.

"Not everything. Torgal means well, but we both know he can be a bit over protective at times," Pagus replied, as if reading his mind. "What Torgal doesn't understand sometimes is that although they may be the enemy, they are still people. And all people have a weakness. Hers seems like it may be you."

David's eyes flew to meet Pagus'. "What do you mean?"

"She hasn't been able to take her eyes off of you when you're in the same room. It seemed like she felt sympathetic when you showed a moment of weakness, when you spoke of Rush." David began to somewhat understand.

"You know as well as I," Pagus began again, "that you have always been gifted with people. Your charisma and natural charm has won you loyalty from parties that we wouldn't have ever foreseen."

"So what exactly are you implying?" David asked, leaning forward to place his elbows onto his knees, his shoulders tense.

"I'm simply saying that a softer method may be more productive than torture."

"Torgal would never approve of this. He'll claim that she only began to talk because Emmy hit her."

"That could very well be the case," Pagus replied, sighing deeply. "But why do you think she began to talk to you?"

David remained silent as be considered the question. He couldn't help thinking it was due to Emmy's actions, that it had scared Lenne into realizing that she was not going to be able to continue to play games with them. At the same time though, he thought about the look on her face when he had asked her where Rush was, and he did not think it was not genuine.

"I honestly don't know," David finally replied after a few long moments.

"Neither of us know for sure," Pagus replied. "But we both know which method you'd prefer to try first, and which you'd rather leave as a last resort."

"Yes," replied David quietly. "That is something we are sure of." David rose from his seat, and Pagus pushed himself from his chair as well. "I think I shall retire early tonight. Rest well Pagus."

"Good night Lord David," Pagus replied, bowing his head slightly. David returned to his own quarters a few doors down the hall, exhausted. He took the time only to remove his boots and shrug off his coat of Athlum's colors before collapsing into bed.

* * *

Only 3 hours later, David was awakened harshly by a frantic pounding at the door of his room.

"Lord David!" he heard Torgal call from the other side. "It's urgent! Lord David wake up!" Instinctually David rolled from his bed and was at the door within seconds. Something in Torgal's voice had triggered his adrenaline to start pumping. Something was wrong.

He pulled the door open to find Torgal standing so close it seemed as if he had been standing with his nose pressed against the wood.

"What is it?" David asked.

"Follow me," Torgal said, motioning down the hall. As they both began to head towards the audience chamber of the castle, Torgal began to talk very fast.

"A soldier from Celapaleis arrived here a few moments ago. He was injured and severely dehydrated – he said he'd ran the whole way from Celapaleis."

"Ran?" David interrupted, shocked. "It's a half a day's ride, why in the world would he do it on foot?"

"He said he was chased out of the city and had no other choice."

"Chased out?"

"By the Rebellion."

David felt like he had been punched in the stomach. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at Torgal, who kept his eyes forward.

"My God," David uttered in disbelief. They arrived at the audience chamber and found the man sprawled on the floor, Blocter and Emmy as well as a castle physician hovering over him.

"What happened?" David asked him as he too stood over the man. His face was pale and his skin looked clammy. His shirt had been removed to reveal a small stab wound to his lower abdomen.

"We were attacked," the soldier replied through chattering teeth. "They stormed the castle in the middle of last night."

"Why weren't we alerted sooner?" Blocter asked.

"They had people waiting in the hills for our messengers. They're all dead."

"They've been there for a full day with the city's communications completely cut off," Emmy said more to herself than the other. Her eyes were wide in shock.

"How did you escape?" David asked urgently.

"They…they l-let me go," the man sputtered, his breath becoming more and more ragged. The physician at the man's side was frantically utilizing herbs and potions, but none seemed to be helping.

"Let you go? Why?"

"A m-message." Tears began to flood from the man's eyes and he closed them tightly, grimacing in pain. "Lord Qubine-"

"What about him?" David asked, panic rising in his voice.

"They h-have him. A trade-" he broke off, his body beginning to shake harder. "For a woman."

David drew back unconsciously as if he'd been stung. His jaw fell open as his mind reeled.

"When and where?" Torgal asked, shaking the man's shoulder slightly as he began to lose consciousness.

"Tomorrow at midnight…the bridge on the Jhai River," the man replied, his voice barely above a whisper. His breathing was becoming shallow and forced.

"Is Qubine injured?" Emmy asked, leaning closer to the man's face.

"I-" he drew a great, labored breath. "I don't-" He choked out as his eyes slid closed. The physician reached up to his neck, and they all remained still as they watched him. After a moment that felt like an hour, the physician withdrew his hand and shook his head.

They all stood in silence a moment, frozen in shock. David's mind raced among three names.

Lenne.

Qubine.

Rush.

"Retrieve all our maps and information about the bridge and the surrounding area," he heard Torgal tell someone. His voice sounded miles away.

"But, wait…" Emmy replied quietly, her voice lacking the confidence to halt Torgal's orders.

"We'll need to strategize the safest way to do this. The plan will need-" the sovani continued.

"Wait-" Emmy again, slightly louder.

"In the dark it's going to be a logistical nightmare," chimed in Blocter.

"STOP IT!"

Emmy's scream brought David back to his senses. He, along with the other generals, looked to her in surprise.

"Shouldn't we talk about this first? Before you decide to just trade her away like that?"

"Emmy they are holding Lord Qubine prisoner!" Torgal shouted at her, his tone irritated as if explaining a simple rule to a child.

"But she knows where Rush is!"

At her words David turned his back to them and closed his eyes.

"That is not an issue here!"

He knew he was going to lose him again.

"How can you say that? There has to be another way!" Emmy's tone was becoming frantic.

"What way is there? Hmm? We have less than a day before the trade, what are we supposed to do?" Torgal finished, his voice growling in impatience. The room fell into silence as Emmy was lost for a response.

"Make the trade."

Although he could not see them, David felt them all turn to face his back after he spoke the words.

"But, my Lord…" he heard Emmy trail off, and he couldn't ignore the shock in her voice.

"We have no choice. We can't leave him in their possession. Make plans for the trade."

He turned around to Torgal, who nodded and then left with Blocter, stepping over the man's body which still remained on the floor between them. He avoided Emmy's eyes as he looked at the soldier.

"David," she breathed, reaching a hand out towards him. He turned away from her and stepped out of her reach.

"Athlum comes first," was all he could say before leaving the room to follow Torgal and Blocter. With few hours left before they would need to depart for the rendezvous point, he needed to decide how to approach her for information; a decision that he'd desired time to consider needed to be made – now.

* * *

Author's note: Props to anyone who caught my Dark Knight reference in here. Although it is almost the exact line from the movie, the thought is exactly what I wanted to convey. No plagiarism intended, I just find the thought powerful.

Thanks yet AGAIN to Sorceress and Yukiko. You guys rock! Thanks also to those who have favorited this! I work hard for you guys!

PS - I have no excuse for the long delay in this chapter. I'm just lazy. On 5/26 I'm leaving the country for 2 weeks (Tokyo here I come!) and will not be able to update. I'm leaving a note now since I'm not sure I'll get another chapter up before then. Sayonara!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note:

Unbeta'ed, like always. I think I might be anti-beta…I just refuse for some reason.

I have no excuse for being so delayed at updating. None. A lot of stuff has been going on but not enough to really justify the neglect. I just took a break. I'm sorry to all my readers!

Just a warning about this chapter, it's very dialogue heavy. There was a lot more information that I needed to get out in this one than I anticipated.

Hope you enjoy, and as always thanks for your support and patience!

* * *

Sacrifice

Chapter VII

* * *

The sky outside the castle windows seemed darker than normal to David. The winter nights were growing longer and becoming almost disorienting. Ironically enough, when time was of the essence, he had no idea the hour. He quickened his pace as he moved swiftly through the halls of the castle.

In the short time that passed since deciding to trade Lenne for Qubine, he and the generals had been forced to immediately make several key decisions. They'd held a meeting which they had intended to be brief, but had run so long that David could not help but feel aggravated. They had decided to send a messenger to the Sykes in Eulam. The message contained questions for John and Marina regarding Lenne's history with the Academy. They knew they would not receive a reply before the meeting over the river, but now that they were aware of her existence as well as what David felt was only a small bit of her knowledge, they needed everything they could gather. And although Emmy was not pleased and David felt a pang of guilty, they neglected to mention that Rush's necklace had been sent to them. Torgal had been able to convince them to do so after pointing out how damaging it could be if the public found out that Rush's necklace had been in the possession of a violent rebel group.

_"We can't inform the public of everything, and an uninformed public is sure to draw conclusions of their own. We have to keep the return of that necklace under wraps, even from the Dukes," Torgal had said, raising his voice over the debate that was occurring over the issue. His words quickly put an end to all arguing._

The main discussion, as well as the main reason the meeting had been so lengthy, was choosing a strategy for their last interrogation of Lenne. Torgal and Blocter had immediately begun this discussion between themselves.

_"We could use her family," Torgal had suggested almost immediately. It seemed as if this was not the first time the idea had crossed his mind._

_ "We still know nothin' about 'er family," replied Blocter._

_ "I know, but she doesn't know that we are still completely in the dark. We could use it to pressure her."_

_ "How so?" David had asked. Although he didn't intend it, the tone of his voice was challenging._

_ "Threaten to have them detained and brought in, etcetera," replied Torgal coolly, turning from Blocter toward the rest of the group._

_ "If we're wrong in the assumption she has family, or has family that she cares for, the whole endeavor will be ruined," Pagus objected. David's eyes had lowered to meet his, and Pagus gave him a small nod that was almost undetectable._

_ "Pagus is right," David said, drawing all eyes to him. "I think we should contemplate a different strategy."_

_ "Do you have an idea?" asked Emmy hesitantly. David breathed a small sigh before continuing. He steeled his voice and willingly let authority seep into it. He didn't want to be argued with._

_ "I'd like to question her myself, alone, and not in her cell."_

_ "What exactly are you thinking?" Torgal asked, taking a step closer to David._

_ "Have the cooks bring food and wine up to the private dining room."_

_ Blocter clenched his fists and burst out, "Yer gonna have dinner with her? With that scum?" _

_ "I think our best bet is to attempt to change her alliance. She seems to be the brains of the Rebellion, not the force. They mounted an attack on Celapaleis without her there. She's a researcher - I doubt she even has a day of combat training. That's not her purpose in the Rebellion," David replied, annoyed at having to further defend his position._

_ "If she's smart she'll realize she could profit better from us," Pagus added._

_ "We don't even know what she's after," Emmy interjected._

_ "It doesn't matter. A rebel force being sought for treason by every nation on the continent doesn't stand a chance."_

That had been the end of the discussion. David had returned to his quarters while preparations in the dining room had been made and Lenne brought up and secured in the room. He'd gone to the sink and cupped his hands under the faucet. The water was cold, another sign of the approaching splashed it onto his face, which felt unusually warm, and dried his skin. As he lowered the towel, he looked at himself in the mirror. His cheeks looked abnormally pink, and his hair was a bit disheveled.

He straightened his hair quickly and exited back into his private chambers. He shed his Athlum coat of arms which was quickly followed by the shirt beneath. As he did so, he heard the familiar jingle of Rush's chain. The sound caused him to pause for the length of a heartbeat, and soothed his nerves a bit. He quickly grabbed a clean black shirt from his closet and grabbed his coat from the floor. He carried it draped over his arm as he left the room.

When he reached the dining room, Torgal was standing in front of the door.

"Lord David," the sovani began upon seeing him approach. David did not speak, and stopped directly in front of Torgal. This placed the general between him and the door. He raised his eyes to meet Torgal's, keeping his face smooth and neutral. When their eyes met, Torgal surprised David and did something exceedingly rare.

He hesitated. His ears flattened against his head and he broke his eye contact with David. "You must know I don't like this idea very much, but after giving it some though I think you are right." David's expression softened at the words. "Just be careful," Torgal added, his eyes meeting David's and openly showing his worry.

"I will," David replied simply, a small smile crossing his face. Torgal returned the smile ever so slightly, yet it seemed to be produced more by nerves than relief.

"I'll come in when it's time for us to leave." With that, Torgal stepped aside and allowed David to let himself in to the dining room.

The room was a small yet warm space. The rich maroon colors on the walls were accompanied by furniture of dark wood. Since this room had been intended for small, private dinners and not formal entertaining, the décor of the room was relatively simple. A dining table surrounded by eight chairs filled the center of the room and took of most of the usable space. The only other furniture in the room was a liquor cabinet in one of the corners. In the center of the table, a gold-plated vase stood holding red roses. On the walls in the spaces between the few windows of the room were similar vases holding more roses. The only light in the room at this time of day were the six small torches that were also perched along the walls. They gave the room a pleasant glow.

Lenne sat in the chair to the right of the head of the table. As he'd entered the room his eyes had caught hers immediately, and he could feel them on him after he had looked away. He closed the door behind him and went to stand opposite her, across the table. His eyes swept over her quickly, noticing changes since the last time he had seen her. Her jaw was swollen and discolored from where Emmy had hit her, a small cut in the middle of the angry purple and black bruising. The wound to her head that she had arrived with looked to be healing slowly. Her hair had been cleaned and brushed, and she had also been given a clean change of clothes. She wore a simple white blouse that looked too big for her body, and a dark skirt made of a material that looked as if it'd be quite itchy to wear.

Their eyes met again and for a moment neither of them spoke. David placed his hands on the chair back in front of him and leaned forward onto it, considering her for a moment. He had not decided on a plan for earning her loyalty, but Pagus' words had given him the confidence that it was possible. He had never particularly tried to be anything other than himself before now to earn peoples' trust, and he told himself to do that here.

_Don't think about who she is or what she has,_ he told himself.

"Please, eat," he told her, motioning to the meal in front of her. "Would you like some wine?" He asked, leaving the table to walk to the liquor cabinet. He opened it and withdrew a bottle without looking at the label. He turned back to the table and reached over to pour her a glass, then one for himself. He set the bottle down on the table between them and took his seat at the head. As he lowered himself into his chair he noticed the hilt of his sword poking out from underneath a dark cloth on the chair adjacent to him. It was laid across the two neighboring chairs and hidden from sight when the chairs were pushed in fully. _Torgal…_ He quickly looked away from it. Looking back at her, he saw that with the exception of her eyes, she had not moved an inch since he entered the room.

_Pretend she's normal. Pretend she's Irina, _he thought to himself as he took a drink of wine. He replaced his glass on the table and leaned back in his chair, releasing a sigh. His eyes fell on her again and saw she was looking at his wine glass. He watched her eyes flick between his glass and hers before she seemed to finally decide to drink it. She lifted her hands above the table from her lap, and David saw for the first time that her wrists were bound together. With only a few inches of slack between her wrists she was forced to reach for her goblet with both hands.

_Well, there goes pretending._

In an attempt to distract himself from staring at her, he quickly looked down at his plate. It was piled high with grilled vegetables, rice and roasted fowl of some kind. He didn't realize until then how hungry he was; he had not eaten since the evening before the Celapaleian messenger had arrived in the middle of the night. He suspected it was now not far from sunrise, although the long nights of winter had him slightly disoriented about the time.

Picking up his fork and knife he began to cut the bird into smaller pieces, feeling her eyes on him the entire time. After slicing a few pieces he raised one to his mouth and then raised his eyes to meet hers again. She had made no motion to eat the food in front of her.

"You must be hungry," he said, motioning again towards the plate in front of her.

"I switched our plates," she said suddenly. "Before you came in."

His brow furrowed as he looked at her. "Why?" He quickly stabbed another piece of meat and put it into his mouth, not breaking eye contact with her. "Did mine have more on it?" David replied, seizing the opportunity to break the ice. He could easily predict the reaction she expected, so he gave her quite the opposite.

She continued to stare at him as he popped food into his mouth, her eyes wider than usual, before the corners of her mouth finally tugged slightly upward in a smile. "No," she said, shaking her head. She snorted, amused, before finally picking up her fork.

David looked down at his plate and smiled inwardly to himself. He'd lowered her defenses, even if only a little, quicker than he'd thought. He looked back up to see her raise a vegetable to her mouth and her eyes slid closed involuntarily. They ate in silence for another moment before she spoke.

"Why are you doing this?"

David remained silent, his mind working rapidly at how to handle this. He felt that it was indeed possible for him to win her over, but with a quick glance at the window over her shoulder he saw the sky turning the slightest bit purple. His stomach turned as he realized he'd been wrong about how much time he had. He had to tread carefully.

"It's…" he started, taking a deliberate pause. _Her weakness seems to be you, _Pagus' words echoed in his head. "It's complicated."

"It doesn't seem like something that should be complicated," she said, only half paying attention to her words. She was struggling to maneuver her utensils.

"No it shouldn't be," he said, setting down his fork and knife with a clatter and rising from his chair. Something in his tone caused all her muscles to freeze. It almost seemed as if there was an edge of a threat present in his voice. As he moved to her side and barely within her peripheral vision, she felt her heart begin to race.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to take a deep breath and calm down. She could barely keep her hands from shaking. When she felt his hands on hers, her eyes flew open to see that he was gently removing the fork and knife from her hands. She watched as he dragged her plate sideways towards himself, and began to slice the meat into small pieces.

"What do you want?" She asked. His touch on her hands had had a sobering effect. She knew she could not afford to lower her defenses around him.

"I'd like us to be able to work together," he replied simply.

"You know my aim is to overthrow you."

"I don't really think so," he replied, cocking his head slightly to the side. "The Rebellion, yes, that's their goal, they've made that very clear. But you," he said, turning to face her, their faces less than a foot apart. "That's not why you're here."

"It's not, is it?" she replied, her voice taking on the edge of hostility it had when she had first been detained. There was also a hint of vulnerability though. David pushed further.

"You're old Academy, we know that. You were working on a project that was kept secret from not only the public but the Congress as well. Something that I'm guessing very few others know about. It's not very hard to then assume you're manipulating the Rebellion into attacking the cities whose vaults contain old Academy files to steal something from them. Something you want."

David had watched her face as her lips had pressed together to form a thin line. He knew he had struck a nerve in her. Neither of them moved for a long moment, her eyes burning into his.

"Want to know what I think?" She asked, leaning closer to him. He did not back away. "You aren't doing this for Athlum and we both know it."

It was all he could do to keep his face even and stony. The moment of weakness he had shown down in her cell had not been forgotten. As his mind began to spin around the question of how much she could know about Rush and his time spent in Athlum, she leaned even closer to him, her chin passing his as her lips came within inches of his ear.

"You want _him_ back."

"And what do you want?" David asked breathlessly, his head turning to the side the slightest degree. He felt the hair off his temple being bent forward as it brushed her forehead. His stomach began to summersault as his skin prickled at her proximity.

"What's in those vaults that you want so badly?" He drew back slowly, his eyes locking with hers unblinkingly. He watched the change in her face carefully. Her knowing smirk had slid away as it was replaced by a look of contemplation.

"I think we could work together." He repeated again as he rose finally from her side, and turned towards the window behind her.

"How?" She asked after what felt like an eternity of silence.

"That depends," he replied, keeping his back to her.

"On?"

"Is he alive?"

Silence. He turned back to her. He was caught off guard by her expression – it was one of sadness. He felt his chest tighten painfully at the sight.

"I don't know," she finally said quietly. "It's been almost two years since I saw him."

He sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "It's alright. I think he is. Listen," he lowered himself back to her eye level.

"You make it so I can see him again, and I'll give you whatever you want."

Her eyes widen and locked with his. "It's not possible."

"What? Finding him or giving you what you want?"

"They're one and the same."

"Rush is your goal then?" David asked, trying his best to not sound territorial.

"No, the _means _are the same."

David let loose an exasperated sigh. "This will never work if you don't trust me."

"This would never work anyway. Even if I agreed, are you going to help me raid Elysion? And your own vaults? No. And why should I trust you? I could tell you what's going on and you could throw me back in that hole. Or let the sovani have a go at torturing me, or-"

"Stop being ridiculous."

His words silenced her. She recoiled slightly away from him and pressed her lips back into a thin line. He could feel that she was becoming torn on what to do. The thought crossed his mind that she must have never been very loyal to the Rebellion in the first place.

"You know you can trust me because I do want him back, very much so. So why not work with me and not have to fear for your life?"

The question seemed suspended in the air.

"What if someone else were to beat you to what you're after?"

He knew as soon as the words left his mouth that he had won. Her shoulders slumped and he saw her begin to bite her lower lip. He moved back to his chair and lowered himself into it. He placed his elbows on the armrests and brought his hands together, fingertips lightly touching as he watched her and waited.

He could guess at what her mind was doing. As soon as the idea of cooperating with him had formed, she had involuntarily begun to consider the steps that would occur after that. She imagined not being back in that cell. Not being held prisoner. Succeeding in her quest, whatever it may be. Being able to return to a normal life someday. Imagining these things made continuing down her fugitive path seem bleak and uninviting.

Once these thoughts penetrate the mind, they are almost impossible to cast off.

"Fine."

His eyes lifted to look at her. Her gaze was downcast and unfocused. His eyes stayed on her a long moment, the finality of the word sinking in. Looking beyond her, David noticed the sun had just peeked above the horizon. He wondered if it was coincidence.

"Good."

She took a deep breath and let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Now what?"

"Now, we talk. I'm of the impression that this endeavor is going to take a great deal of planning."

She chuckled half heartedly at him, shaking her head. "You have no idea. What about the generals? They will not trust me, especially the Yama."

"Leave that to me. Now, let's start again from the beginning. Is Lenne really your name?"

She looked perplexed by the question. "Of course."

"Really? I think the generals might have had some bets rolling as to if you were lying or not," he said, smirking at her.

"It doesn't really matter since the Congress decided to destroy all the files concerning my identity."

"It was to protect you. And your co-workers."

"And it's been biting you in the ass the last few days, hasn't it?" David decided to ignore the subject and move on. He began with simple questions.

"So you are indeed old Academy?"

"Yes."

"How high up were you?"

"Very."

"What was the nature of the project that was so highly confidential?"

At this she leaned back in her chair, her hands grasping her wine glass. She stared down into it for a moment before replying. "You sure you're ready for this?"

"Ready for what exactly?"

"To have what you thought you knew turned upside down."

"About the Academy?" David asked quickly. He could feel his pulse start to quicken at the thought that he was finally about to learn what was behind the Rebellion and Lenne.

"About the remnants."

He did not immediately grasp the meaning of her response. "What about them? They were destroyed."

"You so sure about that? You were quick to believe Rush is alive."

"Rush is an exception. He's human as well as a descendant of Marion Marshall."

"No, you don't understand."

"So you're saying he's dead?" David asked, raising his voice.

As he watched, he saw her slowly begin to shake her head from side to side. "They're _all_ alive."

"How can that be?" David burst out, unable to help himself. "They should be dead."

"They're alive for the same reason Rush is alive. They have pieces of human souls within them. The souls they leeched from when they were bound in this world. Those souls sustained them through what happened two years ago. They are now all together, weakened, but alive."

"How do you know this?"

"From my work. And from what I saw the last time I saw Rush. It took me months after that time to piece together what everything meant. But I think I understand it all now." Her eyes were cast towards a space on the table, but they were unfocused again. He could almost see her mind racing.

Without thinking, he reached over the table to place his hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, brought out of her thoughts by his touch.

"Tell me," he told her, his voice softening. She nodded slowly, and he removed his hand from her shoulder.

"I was a research team leader at the Academy. Our work was classified, with even other members of the Academy outside the team unaware of what we were working on. Our research focused not on the discovery of remnants, but the creation of new ones. There seemed to be a finite number of them in the world, and it was feared that most had already been found. That made it very desirable to find a way to manufacture them."

David settled back into his chair. He indeed had never been aware of such a program at the Academy. He remained silent while she spoke, trying to absorb everything she said.

"This raised the inevitable question of where the remnants came from. We looked at everything; we tried to find patterns in their locations around the world and tried unsuccessfully to perform tests on their composition, before eventually turning to documents in the archives. Everything else had failed us until then. The tests attempted on the remnants always proved inconclusive or would randomly be riddled with errors. They were useless no matter what we tried.

We all knew the folktales we were told when we were younger; that the remnants descended from the sky. If that were indeed the case, then manufacturing a remnant was thought to be impossible. So the team as a whole worked with the assumption that they had to be organic of the planet, and that they could be made. And so we began experimenting."

"And what did you discover?"

"A place that we believed to be a remnant graveyard of sorts."

"How did you find it?"

"Completely by accident. In an attempt to create an artifact to manufacture a remnant, we managed to create one that took us there."

"And you went there?"

"Multiple times. "

"And why did you think it was a graveyard?"

She rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. "I was getting there, if you'd stop with the questions," she replied. David straightened his back and cleared his throat, and although he felt in a normal conversation an apology would be appropriate, he denied it to this one.

"This idea was supported by the remnants we saw there," she continued. "We had seen them before, not on the planet, but in drawings and sketches in the archives. They were dated hundreds of years ago."

She paused then, leaning back in her chair and absentmindedly rotating her wine glass on its rim.

"What did it look like?"

"It's a desert of grey sand. The sky is just as grey and it is always lightning and thundering. It's a storm that never clears."

David felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He remembered the dream he'd had in his office – of waking up in a strange, desolate land and searching frantically for Rush.

"What is it?" her voice broke into his reverie. She had noticed his face go pale.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Is this where you saw Rush? Where he gave you the necklace?"

"Yes."

"Did he say anything to you?"

She shook her head. "Only a little. I was in a hurry, we knew that the Congressional team that was dissolving the Academy was on its way to the lab, and I did not want to explain to them what we had been up to."

"You travelled there knowing that they were en route? They only had to walk across the city."

"Time flows differently there. Days there is only a few moments here." David's heart ached at the thought. What had been two years for him had been years…possibly decades for Rush.

"Why didn't you bring him back with you?"

"The artifact that I used to travel there wasn't powerful enough to transport two. I had tried to bring my assistant with me before to conduct research, but it always failed. We then spent time researching on two fronts – one was the graveyard, and one on increasing the power of the artifact. I prohibited the other researchers from using the artifact, both as a precaution for the security of the research and to help motivate them to find a way to improve its power."

The sun had now completely risen above the horizon. It bathed the room in a soft light and began to warm away the chill of the night that had been in the room. David had failed to noticed, too drawn in by Lenne's story.

"I went there once," she began again quietly, "to study a specific dormant remnant when I noticed some glyphs on the surface of it. Against my better judgment, I reached out and touched them. They began to glow and became blisteringly hot to touch," she extended her left hand, and David could see burn scars across her fingertips.

"As I stood there the sand beneath me dispersed to the sides, as if someone had blown it across a tabletop. The very ground below me disappeared but I didn't fall. I just stood there, suspended on nothing, looking down at this world. Just as suddenly the remnant began to shake violently and then plummeted toward the planet, like an arrow from a bow. I watched it rocket toward the planet and saw it land near the northern coast."

"No…" David breathed, realization dawning on him. She nodded.

"Duke Ghor had no problem accepting the Academy's request to begin a search for a new remnant in the world. Whatever democratic bullshit he came up with worked, didn't it?"

"You spawned the Fornstrand remnant?" David asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

She only nodded. David fell into silence then, trying to take in everything that had been said. In the back of his mind, he also began to formulate a plan.

"Was your research into strengthening the artifact successful?"

"We completed something that we thought might augment its power, but-" Her words were cut off by the door to the dining room opening.

"My Lord," Torgal said, bowing his head slightly as he entered the room. "We can't wait any longer. We have to make preparation to depart."

David immediately stood. Lenne's gaze began to dart between his and Torgal's faces.

"Come," David said, moving to her side and hooking an arm under her elbow. "We have to go."

"Go where?" she asked, her voice quivering slightly. "David?"

He did not look at her as they walked through the castle, Lenne having to almost jog to keep up with Torgal's brisk pace. As they reached the doors to the stables, David stopped short with her as Torgal continued out the doors.

"Listen to me," he whispered, leaning close to her. "The Rebellion has captured Lord Qubine. We've agreed to trade you for him. Do they know what you know?" His eyes locked with hers. When she didn't answer, he pushed her forcedly up against the wall, out of sight of their awaiting entourage. "Are they after the artifact like you are?"

"They're after it," she replied, fear in her eyes. "But they don't know that it's for transportation nor how to use it. They just think it will bring back the remnants so they can use them against you."

"Alright. Now, I need you to understand three things. If you ever want what is in Athlum's vaults, then you will remain loyal to me. I will give him up and kill you if you betray us."

She nodded frantically. This time when he made the threat on her life, she believed him.

"The second is I need you to keep up appearances that we're not cooperating. There may be spies within this castle and if they know you're helping me, it makes you a target. And you're no use to me dead. We'll retrieve you as soon as we can. You never told us anything, got it?"

"Okay," she replied. "And the third thing?"

David grabbed her arm again and pulled her away from the wall and into the entryway. "I need to keep up appearances too."

He pulled her into the stable yard and threw her to the ground. She landed hard on her shoulder and cried out in pain at the impact.

"Tie her up. Let's go."

"My Lord," Torgal said, walking over to him. David turned to meet him, walking away from Lenne without looking at her. Blocter moved towards her and hoisted her up by her bound hands. David heard her give out another cry of pain at her shoulder being jostled, but he did his best to not acknowledge it.

"There's been a collapse," Torgal began. Everything else immediately disappeared from David's mind.

"Where?" he asked.

"Melphina."

David sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "Send Blocter."

"Sir, Blocter is leading anti-Rebellion operations-"

"Then send Emmy with five hundred soldiers."

"Yes sir," Torgal replied. He turned away from David and walked to Emmy as David mounted his horse. He saw Emmy nod to Torgal and then turn to him, saluting before heading back towards the castle.

"Pagus will remain in Athlum," Torgal told him as he mounted his own horse next to David.

"That's fine," David replied. As they turned to exit the castle grounds, David cast a look over his shoulder. Lenne's hands were being bound to her horse, which would be escorted the trip by Blocter.

"Did you manage to get any information from her?" Torgal asked as the party began to move forward.

"Very little, and I believe it all a lie. We'll discuss it later."

* * *

The caravan did not stop until dusk was settling over the land. The bridge was less than an hour from the clearing in which they stopped. Torgal and Blocter had decided to set up a secure, temporary camp here while scouts ventured ahead to survey the situation. They sent soldiers in a wide circle out to the river's edge, checking for signs of an ambush or trap.

David dismounted his horse gratefully and began to pace around the camp, stretching his legs. The winter's cold was seeping through his skin, and they had decided against making a fire to try to draw as little attention as possible. Lenne was bound to a tree and blindfolded. Although David knew the precautions unnecessary, he could not stop Blocter from treating her so. He worried that he Rebellion had members hidden amongst his ranks, and did not want to give the slightest inclination that she was now, he hoped, his ally instead of theirs.

A few hours after darkness settled, the scouts returned and reported no abnormalities in the woods.

"Send a few archers to go far north of here, cross the river, then poise themselves overlooking the bridge. Tell them to fire first if they see signs of snipers on the other side of the river." Torgal ordered some of the troops. David was thankful that he was taking command of the situation. David had now not slept in over a day and it was becoming hard to focus his mind.

After another short wait, the party began to move towards the bridge, leaving their horses tied at their temporary camp with only a few guards. Everyone else moved through the trees on foot. David began to feel his pulse quicken when he realized he could hear the rushing sound of the river out in the darkness.

The bridge came into view quicker than he had expected. The bridge had been built three generations ago and arched gracefully over the river below. For many years it had been a major route for merchants travelling between cities. It had fallen into disuse though, after a wider, more stable bridge had been built a few miles downriver.

Coming closer to it, David could finally see across to the other side. There he saw a group of approximately thirty people, all wearing masks to hide their faces. Near the front, a large man held the elbow of who David assumed to be Qubine. He wore Celapaleis' royal colors, but a bag of black cloth obscured his face. Although David could not tell for sure, there were dark stains that seemed to be blood covering his shoulder.

Blocter grabbed Lenne forcibly by the elbow and dragged her forward. David heard her give a whimper of pain from behind the gag in her mouth, which he assumed was caused by her shoulder. As they reached the edge of the bridge Blocter stepped out onto it first, and it gave a loud creak under the yama's weight. Lenne tried to dig her heels into the ground in protest of following him onto the wooden planks, but he had little trouble in forcing her forward. David closed his eyes, trying to suppress the guilt welling inside him.

Across the bridge, the large man holding Qubine stepped forward. David's eyes flew open at the sound of their footsteps on the bridge. When both parties had crossed a third of the way, the Rebellion man held up his hand.

"Stop there," he called, and Blocter and Lenne came to a halt. "Send her across."

"After we see his face," Blocter growled back at the man. The man reached over without hesitation and ripped the hood off the man's head. Qubine's eyes blinked furiously, trying to adjust from being in the dark for so long, and then finally met David's across the river. David could almost feel the relief that he saw sweep through the teenager's eyes.

The man pushed Qubine forward harshly, and Blocter at the same time released Lenne. Both of them moved forward hesitantly, tensing as they neared each other. Qubine stared intently at her face as she passed him, while her eyes did not leave the ground. When Qubine was close enough Blocter reached out an enormous hand and placed it on his back, guiding him hastily across the rest of the bridge.

David's eyes turned to the far side of the river. Lenne was being lifted onto the back of a horse by another man in a mask. As she slid in behind him he turned backwards to face her and raised a hand to her face. David felt a fire flare angrily in his stomach as he watched the man tenderly caress her face where Emmy had hit her.

"David…" Qubine's voice drew his attention back to his side of the river. Qubine was at his side and reaching out to David. David reached out to grasp his hand, but Qubine pulled David to him and squeezed his shoulders tightly.

"Thank you David," Qubine said into his shoulder.

"Of course," David said, pulling away from the embrace. "You'd do the same for me." He inspected Qubine's face, seeing bruises that looked like they were a day or so old.

"Did you fight back against the bastards?" David asked, patting the teen on the shoulder.

"As best I could," Qubine replied, a small smile crossing his face.

"Come, let us leave quickly," Torgal interjected, and everyone turned to walk back through the forest. David moved slower than the rest and fell slightly behind, affording himself one last glance across the river. No one lingered there; it was if they had vanished into the night.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note: Um…hi? I'd say the usual "I love my reviewers" thing, but they already know I love them.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Last Remnant.

* * *

Sacrifice

Chapter VIII

* * *

Immediately after their half a day ride back to Athlum, David found himself unable to do anything except sleep. The generals did not stop him on his direct path to his quarters, and he collapsed into bed as soon as he reached his room. He slept half the day, for when he awoke the sun was beginning to lower towards the horizon. He got out of bed and showered quickly, as he knew he had many things to attend to.

When he exited his chambers, an awaiting guard informed him that Torgal needed to speak with him immediately in audience chamber. David nodded and headed directly there.

Torgal was standing at attention near David's seat at the head of the room. When he saw David enter he saluted hastily before closing the distance between them.

"How is Qubine?" David asked first.

"Blocter returned him to Celapaleis just a short while ago. The Rebellion hadn't lingered there, they had left with Qubine that day before all of Celapaleis' troops could even respond to the incident. He's reassumed the throne and security in the city has been considerably increased. Blocter returned a short while ago and is catching up on sleep."

"Good," David replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Any news from Emmy?"

"Yes actually. We got a message from her only an hour ago that the collapse seems to be a relatively small one – mostly earthquakes with a small amount of monsters. She said not to worry."

"Very good." David moved towards the antechamber of the hall, Torgal following him. Inside the smaller room David began to make himself a cup of tea, still trying to shake the haziness of sleep off of him.

"If I may, my Lord, I'm very curious to know what you and Lenne spoke about over dinner for nearly 4 hours."

David chuckled lowly as he took a drink of his tea. When he glanced over the rim of the cup, he saw Torgal looking at him skeptically.

"You aren't gonna believe it," he said, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Try me."

They moved into the conference room and David spent the next hour catching Torgal up on everything Lenne had told him. Torgal surprised him by accepting all the information much easier than David had anticipated.

"We always suspected that the Academy had its own agenda and was possibly dabbling in illegal research."

"That's true," David agreed.

"What I find amazing is that she managed to keep such an incredible discovery a secret from her superiors and co-workers."

"I got the impression that she might have conducted a lot of the research unbeknownst to her team mates. Also since it was only powerful enough to transfer one, and if time flows differently like she said, she probably easily went without being missed."

"That seems likely. So you think that part of this…artifact…is in Athlum's vaults?"

"She said she would need to raid Elysion's as well as ours."

"She didn't say anything about what it actually is? Because the vaults-"

"Yes, I know," David cut him off. He did not need reminding of how chaotic and cluttered the room of old Academy items was.

"And why do you think she is lying?"

"I don't, I just didn't want to speak of it out there. I don't know who we can trust; I'm worried they may have infiltrated castle staff. I can't think of any other way that they could overthrow Qubine and his security so easily."

"Hmm," was Torgal's only reply. They fell into silence.

"Well, I think we should fill in Blocter, Pagus and Emmy as soon as possible," Torgal finally said after a time.

"Yes. Would you mind taking care of that? There's someone I need to pay a visit to."

Torgal stood to leave, saluting before moving toward the door.

"Torgal, wait please." David's request stopped the sovani with his hand on the doorknob.

"Yes?" he asked, turning back to David. He could see from his face that he was being torn over a decision; he'd seen this look on his lord's face before. "What is it?"

"After you fill in Pagus and Blocter, could you fetch Jager for me?"

Torgal's face filled with understanding, and he nodded before exiting the room. David sat alone in the conference room for a while, contemplating his next move. He had decided to send Jager after Lenne – he was the first one to be successful in finding her the first time, he had to hope that he could do it again.

David finally rose from the table and left the room, his feet leading him unconsciously to his destination. He exited the castle through a side door, into the gardens where the kitchen staff kept fields of vegetables and corn. Further away from the castle was a small hill covered in flowers; flowers with white and purple petals.

Atop the hill sat Emma's tomb.

"Hello, Emma." He spoke quietly as he approached the top of the hill. His eyes fell down to the flowers beneath his feet. They were wilting and their colors were dull. Winter had taken its hold over them.

David closed his eyes, thinking back to when he had planted these very flowers.

_Shortly after her mother's death, Emmy had suggested the small hill near the castle for the final resting place of her mother. David had questioned the decision, as he knew the Honeywells had an impressive mausoleum in Athlum's national cemetery. But Emmy had insisted that Athlum was her mother's true love in life, and David had willingly agreed._

_ A few days after Emma was laid to rest, Emmy found David on the hill one day, digging small holes randomly in the grass. She had approached him, a confused look on her face, until she had gotten close enough to see a small pile of flowers next to him. They still had their roots attached, along with clumps of dirt. Looking back down the hill, Emmy saw a trail of soil that led all the way back to the castle entrance. David had pulled them from his mother's garden to bury here._

_ "She planted them for my sake," David had said to her without looking up. "It's only right that I do it for her."_

_ Without a word, Emmy had joined him on her knees in the dirt._

He stood for a long time in silence, thinking about the tasks that were ahead of him. He could always think here, and he almost felt like his subconscious took on Emma's form when he did. He thought about Emmy and Jager, and how he was about to request that Jager perform another dangerous operation for Athlum.

"I'm sorry if I cause her pain," he said aloud. Only the breeze answered back.

He took the time to wipe the stone of the tomb clean with his bare hands before turning to leave. Torgal stood waiting at the bottom of the hill.

"Jager is waiting in the conference room," he told David as they walked toward the castle together. They continued the rest of the way in silence.

Upon reaching the conference room and discussing the situation, Jager eagerly agreed to retrieve Lenne for them again.

"If you can, help her make it appear as if she left on her own," David told him. "We can't have them targeting another Lord because they think she's in custody. If all goes properly, she should come with you willingly."

"Yer bloody joking," Jager replied, the surprise evident on his face.

"I assure you I'm not."

"Well, I sure as hell hope so," Jager replied, pulling up his sleeve to reveal his arm. A nasty cut, seemingly from a dagger, ran up the length of his bicep. "She put up a hell of a fight last time."

Jager got up and left the room without another word. After the door closed behind him, Torgal and David glanced sideways at each other.

"So much for that no combat training theory," Torgal said smugly.

"Indeed," replied David. "Anyway, we should speak with Pagus." Torgal nodded and they both rose from their seats. They made their way towards his chambers, where Torgal has spoken with him a few hours earlier. He told David that he had seemed distracted at the time, barely looking up from the book he was reading.

"Typical Pagus," David remarked, smiling at the thought. They arrived at his door and knocked.

"Pagus? Lord David and I need to speak with you," Torgal called through the door. They received no response.

"Pagus?" David called. After a small hesitation he gripped the doorknob and turned. The door was unlocked.

Opening the door slowly, David stuck his head in the gap and looked into the room.

"Pagus!"

Pagus lay unconscious on the floor of his study. David threw the door open and ran to his side, falling to his knees. He called out the general's name again as he shook him by the shoulder, but he did not stir.

"Get a physician!" he yelled to Torgal, who turned from the room and ran down the hall. David could feel his heart pounding in his ears as he waited a small eternity for help to arrive. When the medical staff finally did arrive, they gently pushed David out of their way as they lifted Pagus onto a stretcher and carried him to the medical ward. David and Torgal followed at their heels.

**

* * *

**

An hour later, David sat in a chair in the hallway of the medical ward. His face was in his hands and his elbows rested on his knees. The lead physician had just spoken with him and Torgal a few moments earlier. After placing a comforting hand on David's shoulder, Torgal had left to find Blocter.

David suddenly became conscious of the sound of hurried footsteps in the hall. He raised his head from his hands and turned to see Emmy rushing toward him, still wearing her battle clothes and covered in dirt and grime.

"David," she sighed as she approached him, and he stood to meet her. She opened her arms at the same time as he, and they half collapsed against each other.

"I passed Torgal on my way in and he told me. Is he…" Her voice trailed off shakily.

"He's stabilized for now," he replied, his voice muffled by her shoulder. "But he hasn't regained consciousness." He felt Emmy squeeze him a little tighter before finally releasing him. She took a step nearer Pagus' door, and glanced into the room. After a moment she let out a heavy sigh, and turned her sad eyes from Pagus to David.

"Well, there's nothing to be done right now," she said quietly, sounding very much like her mother. "Let's go get some tea," she said quietly. He nodded slightly and they turned down the hall together towards his chambers. When they arrived there she filled a pot with water and warmed it quickly with the cast of a spell.

With cups poured, they settled into seats at the table. They were silent a long time before David spoke.

"He doesn't wish to try and treat his condition," David said, a slight bitterness in his voice.

"That's Pagus' choice. We need to respect it."

"I know, I know. It's just…hard," he replied, sighing.

"It is for all of us. In these positions we end up being largely isolated from outsides."

"These positions?" he asked her.

"Lord and generals. We become each others' family, in a way."

David nodded in agreement with her statement. He knew she was right, he'd known it since the moment he found out that Emma had died.

"David," she said, calling his attention back to the present. He lifted his eyes to her to see she had a smile on her face. "Thank you again, so much, for approving of Jager."

He felt the color drain from his face. He had sent Jager off without telling Emmy, and without giving Jager the opportunity to say goodbye; she had still be out responding to the collapse. She didn't even know he was gone.

How could he have been so careless?

"What?" she asked, noticing his face. "What is it?"

"I asked him to go after Lenne," David blurted out. "Emmy, I-"

She stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly ajar, before she abruptly got up from the table without another word.

"Emmy!" he called after her, jumping up from the table. He entered the hall just in time to see Torgal follow her into her room.

"Don't do this Emmy," Torgal was at her heels, speaking insistently. Only a few seconds later he was following her back into the hall. She was carrying her mother's sword.

"Don't," Torgal reached out and gripped her elbow as she tried to pass him. "You can't go after him."

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do." She said under her breath as she roughly broke his grip on her arm. Although Torgal stood a foot taller than her, David saw him slightly recoil.

"You chose to forfeit that right," she hissed at him before turning down the hall and rounding the corner. Torgal watched her go, and David saw his shoulders slump slightly. As Torgal turned to face him, David saw an expression on his face that the sovani rarely exhibited.

Pain.

"It is alright," David finally said quietly, taking hesitant steps toward Torgal. His general's face was instantly wiped clear of emotion. "Aiding Jager is still aiding Athlum. We need Lenne back as soon as possible."

"Yes," Torgal replied absentmindedly. They stood a moment, both lost in thought.

"What did she mean about what you chose?" David asked.

Torgal replied without meeting David's eyes. "I do not know." David knew he was lying, and he already had an idea what it was about. He hesitated before speaking, opening his mouth and closing it again several times as he chose his words cautiously.

"You know, there's nothing wrong with acknowledging-"

"I will not do such a thing," Torgal cut him off, though David knew better than to take offense. He knew it was a sensitive subject to Torgal.

"It would only bring her trouble," Torgal added, and David could hear exhaustion in his voice.

"On the contrary," David replied, drawing his hands behind his back. "I think it would only give her the greatest happiness." They stood in silence a moment and David hoped that his words were making it through to his oldest friend.

"I do hope you'll change your mind by her wedding day." With that David left the sovani standing in the hallway, alone with his thoughts.

**

* * *

**

For the next five days David, Torgal and Blocter remained in Athlum. Pagus remained unconscious, and they received no news from Emmy nor Jager. The Rebellion had fallen eerily quiet as well, as regular informants also had little information to report.

On the sixth night, David was awoken in the early hours of the morning by Blocter.

"Lord David?" he called, his heavy fist pounding on his bedroom door.

"Yes Blocter?" David replied, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. The full moon glared in brightly through his window. Blocter entered the room hesitantly.

"Torgal and me needs to speak wit' ya. Its urgent."

David climbed out of bed and pulled on his clothes and boots before opening the door. "Is it Pagus?" he asked sleepily as they began to walk down the hall.

"Ehh no. There's been a collapse."

They rounded the corner of the audience chamber where Torgal was waiting.

"Where is it?" David asked.

"Balterossa," Torgal replied. "It sounds bad from what the messenger had to say."

David sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "Of course we'll send troops, but I'm not willing to send either of you. Send extra troops and a few extra commanding officers, but we're staying here."

"Yes my Lord," Torgal replied, bowing his head before turning to leave.

"Torgal," David called after him before he could leave the room.

"Yes?"

"Get some sleep please, I know you haven't slept in a few days."

"If you insist," Torgal replied, saluting before leaving the room.

"Crazy sovanis," Blocter said quietly. He and David wondered subconsciously towards the balcony overlooking the city. A light snow had begun to fall, and in the silence of the night David found it beautiful.

"I was 'bout to patrol the grounds, wanna come?" Blocter asked after a moment.

"Sure."

After retrieving his sword and coat, David and Blocter began to walk through the grounds of the castle, their pace leisurely as they spoke casually and enjoyed the snow. Although it was the darkest part of the night, David did not feel the cold. He realized this while they walked in silence for a time, and considered it for a moment. He'd felt numb and disconnected since Pagus fell ill and Emmy had departed. He'd found himself unable to focus his thoughts and reacting automatically to things as they passed. He associated this to the stress of worrying for his generals, even those that remained at his side. They were indeed, as Emmy had said, his family. It dawned on him that Torgal probably had picked up on his turmoil, and that was the reason he had so easily agreed to David's request that he get some sleep.

Blocter's heavy hand laying upon his chest and pushing him backwards broke him from his thoughts. He had just been about to round a corner near the side entrance that led to Emma's tomb when Blocter had forced him away from it and behind him.

"What-" David began.

"Shhh," Blocter replied, removing his hand from David's chest and reaching to drawn his massive two-handed sword. David followed his lead and withdrew his sword as well, trying to make as little noise as possible as the steel slid out of its sheath. The feeling of numbness he'd been assessing a moment before had evaporated; his senses all stood on high alert.

He raised his head to meet Blocter's eyes and gave him a small nod to convey he was ready. Slowly, they both leaned sideways to peer around the corner.

The area they had been approaching was small and essentially only a room that was passed through and never lingered in. The door leading to the garden outside and the hallway that Blocter and David had entered from were the only ways in and out. The room was dark, with only the torches hung outside the open doorway providing any lighting. Squinting into the darkness, David could see what had made Bloctor stop short; one of the guards posted at the door lay sprawled on his back just inside the entrance. The other could be seen just outside the doorframe, face-down on the ground. The door hung ajar on its hinges, the outer side smeared with blood and the wood splintered in several areas.

"Shit," Blocter swore under his breath, and he slowly moved out from around the corner, approaching the door frame and pressing himself against the wall as stealthily as he could. He nodded back to David, who took a few steps forward and knelt down to the guard. In the dim light of the torches, he could see their light reflecting in a pool of blood beneath him. Reaching his hand out to the man's wrist, he could not find a pulse.

Looking back up to Blocter, David's eyes met his only for a second before he looked back to the door. He had seen something move in the darkness. He rose quickly to his feet and pressed himself against the wall on the opposite side of the door. Holding his sword raised and ready to deflect any blows, he slowly leaned forward and looked sideways out of the door. At the very boundary of the torches' light, he could see the edge of the corn field that the kitchen staff grew there. It stood perfectly still in the night as not even a small breeze was there to disturb it. Even though there was no sign of their presence, he could feel them out there in the darkness.

The Rebellion was attacking Athlum in the dead of night.

"You see 'em?" Blocter whispered, pressing himself against the wall. David could feel his eyes becoming dry from staring without blinking, but he dared not close them.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head slightly.

"Should we-" Blocter began, but stopped suddenly. His eyes and David's quickly locked on each other's.

"Did you hear that?" David mouthed to Blocter silently. The yama nodded, and they both fell into silence, straining to listen out into the darkness. A few long moments passed before they heard it again. The sound of someone making a long whistle floated to them from the corn field.

David tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and risked exposing a little more of himself in the doorway. He peered to the side of the corn field, where the hill led up to Emma's tomb. The stone surface had an eerie glow in the light of the moon. He saw no one though, and turned his attention back to the corn field. He couldn't explain it, but he thought he could feel someone looking back at him from the stalks. Slowly, he lifted his foot and took a small sideways step, moving the slightest bit more into the doorway and leaning forward to see down the edge of the corn field that ran parallel to the building.

As soon as the edge of his face moved into the moonlight, the corn stalks that were no more than 20 feet away from him rustled loudly. His eyes flew to it and he could see someone disturbing the stalks as they ran away and deeper into the field.

"No!" Blocter growled, but David had already taken off after them, breaking into a run and crossing the distance to the field in the space of two heartbeats. He plunged into the stalks which came up to his chin, and holding one arm up in front of his face to deflect leaves away from his face began a frantic chase into the darkness.

His hearing guided him after them, the sounds of feet crunching on dead and dried leaves coming from what seemed only inches in front of him. He quickened his pace, certain that he would catch them. His mind focused on moving swiftly through the field, dodging stalks and sprinting along rows as fast as he could. He barely noticed Blocter's voice as he yelled after him.

His mind came to a grinding halt though when he suddenly and unexpectedly burst out the other edge of the corn field and into the open. Only open grasslands stretched from here to the castle border walls, and in the vast space he could quickly see that no one was present on it. His common sense began to catch up with his instincts as he realized he had outrun his only support, and was now left out in the open. _Fool, _he chided himself. He quickly bent at the waist and withdrew a few steps back into the cover of the stalks.

Sound began to catch up with him as well. He could hear more shouting echoing across the field, a man's voice he didn't recognize followed by another long whistle. Ten yards to the side of him he could hear someone else crashing through the field, heading towards an area further down the same edge that David had come out at. Taking a deep breath, David took a hesitant step forward, back towards the edge of the field. He knew engaging the person would be foolish, but he could at least catch a glimpse of the intruder and watch what direction they were headed while remaining hidden himself.

He lifted his foot slowly to take another step forward when he heard the sound of a twig snapping to the other side of him, not more than 5 feet away. He spun on his heel, his sword swinging in the direction of the sound before his eyes could. The steel of the blade caught the moonlight when he turned, and the reflected light danced over the stalks in front of him. In the light he caught a glimpse of long, dark hair.

Lenne.

Before he could utter a word, she took off at a run. He was ready for it this time and sprinted after her. She was fast, but he was faster. He gained on her quickly, and was suddenly so close that he no longer needed to deflect corn stalks from his face. He could see her hair bounding wildly in the wind behind her. He raised his hand that was not clutching his sword. He was almost close enough to grab her.

They reached the edge of the field and flew out from their cover. David chanced a look away from her as he continued to run after her, and his brow furrowed in confusion. Instead of running towards the castle perimeter where she might have been able to make a run for safety, she had gotten turned around in the field and had run back towards the castle itself. She continued to run forward, seeming to not notice this, but David had not escaped from the distraction. In breaking his concentration on running his foot had caught on a low rock in the ground, and he lost his balance. He fell forward onto his stomach and skid a few feet through the dirt, crying out in surprise as he landed. His sword rolled a few feet away from him. He lifted his head, squinting to see through the dust cloud his fall had kicked up, and his head immediately began to throb painfully. He barely could see Lenne as she turned back to look at him. Across her face was a look of surprise, and although he might have imagined it, he thought he saw her slow her pace.

That was when Jager seemed to suddenly emerge from nothing but shadows.

With her head turned back to look at David, she never saw him coming. He leapt forward with his arms extended and collided with her from the side. She let out a shriek as they hit the ground and began to roll to a stop. They came to a rest with him on top of her and he tried to grab frantically at her wrists. She kept escaping his grasp, and David watched through blurred vision as she suddenly rolled Jager off of her and scrambled to her feet.

That was when Emmy seemed to materialized out of nothing as well.

Lenne was too focused on Jager to hear her coming. Emmy moved swiftly up to her from behind and jumped at Lenne in the same manner Jager had. Lenne fell forward, and David saw her hit the ground hard on that same shoulder he had injured the last time they had spoken. She cried out and tears began to slide down her cheeks instantly as she squeezed her eyes shut in pain.

"Lord David!" Jager was suddenly at David's side and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," David replied, still trying to catch his breath and blinking to focus his vision. "I think I might have hit my head…"

"I'll get him to his chambers. Go wake a physician." David suddenly heard Torgal's voice above him, out of his line of sight.

"No, I can walk," he protested, but as soon as he pushed himself up on his hands away from the ground his head began to spin. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He heard Torgal sigh above him, and then suddenly he was being lifted from the cold ground. His head rolled sideways and he slid his eyes open the slightest bit.

"Bag her head, quick," Jager was telling Emmy. A large black cloak had been thrown over Lenne, and Emmy was lifting her head to slip a cloth sack over it.

"What are they…" David began to ask, but he could not finish the question before his world faded to black.

**

* * *

**

A few hours later, Lenne awoke in the most comfortable bed she'd ever felt. She would have loved to enjoy it for as long as she could, but as her senses slowly returned to her, she was aware that someone poking her elbow, and that poking her elbow hurt. Bad.

She groaned and tried to pull her arm away, but the person's grip kept her from doing so. Her eyes began to flutter open, trying to adjust to the sunlight that was pouring into the room.

"Be still," a smooth, calm voice said to her quietly. Her eyes flew open.

David had pulled up a chair next to the bed she was lying in, and next to him was a second chair with medical supplies strewn across it. He was holding her elbow in the one hand while dabbing at her elbow with a small cloth in the other. Craning her neck to look at what he was doing, she saw a large bloody scrape covering her elbow.

"This can be healed easily with magic, but it has to be cleaned first," he said quietly. She said nothing to him and lowered her head back onto the pillow. She watched him for a long time, wincing occasionally as he worked on her wound.

"Sorry," he would apologize whenever he felt her muscles tense. She remained silent.

When he finished, David set the cloth down on the chair next to him and turned in his chair to face her fully. As he moved her eyes caught sight of a bandage on the side of his head that she could not see before. Without thinking she reached out and her fingertips brushed the skin just below the bandage. David froze, and his eyes darted up to meet hers. Her touch left his skin warm in its wake.

"I don't understand you," she said quietly, her throat dry and making her voice rough.

David swallowed a knot in his throat before replying. "And I don't understand you." He stayed perfectly still, and it dawned on him that he was afraid her fingertips would leave his skin if he moved. He couldn't say why, but he didn't want them to fall.

He had used himself as a lure to earn her allegiance, but now he realized that he didn't want to stop. And suddenly he knew he was crossing that fine line that he never thought he would be able to get anywhere near.

He raised both of his hands up to hers and grasped it lightly and slowly removed it from his face. As he lowered it and placed it on the mattress at her side, her face remained unchanged.

"I'm sorry about your men," she said, her voice steady and cool. "I was doing my best to keep up appearances. I swear I had no part in killing them."

David nodded in acknowledgement. "How many others were out there with you?"

"Three."

"Three? Why so few?" He asked, his eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"They knew your defenses were lowered. With two generals out of the picture and most of your troops marching to Balterossa, it seemed like a good time to strike. They thought it would be best to try a sort of stealth mission since it would definitely break the pattern of how we'd been doing things before."

A sick feeling was forming in the pit of David's stomach. He knew the answer to his next question before he even asked it.

"How did they know about the generals and the troops?"

"You have a spy in the castle."

It was just as he'd feared. "Do you know who?"

"I don't know his name, but he was in the audience chamber when you sent the troops to Balterossa-"

"But how?" he cut her off. "That wasn't more than an hour before we found the guards dead."

"It's not a big secret when a collapse occurs. We were already camping only half an hour outside the city."

David let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping. The Rebellion seemed to be always one step ahead of him.

"You can't remove the spy," she said, interrupting his thoughts. "They'll know something is up."

"Well, if you haven't noticed, something is indeed up," he replied, his tone becoming short. "You're back in our custody and the Rebellion knows it, which is exactly what we didn't want to have happen."

"We planned for that."

"Who planned on it? Not you and I," he said to her curtly.

"Emmy and Jager and I. Why do you think I ran back towards the castle, 'cause I'm a fool?"

And suddenly, David remembered the bag that Emmy had slipped over her head and the cloak Jager had covered her with. He began to put the pieces together.

"So if the spy was in the castle that night, they wouldn't see you being brought in."

"Right," she said, sighing in relief. "And now, you're going to go tell the people of Athlum that I was killed trying to escape last night."

His eyes had been directed at the floor, unfocused as he considered what she was saying, but now they flew up to meet hers.

"Fake your death?"

She nodded. He knew immediately that the plan was ingenious, but something was nagging him in the back of his mind.

"But what about your family?" He asked.

It was obviously the wrong thing to say. She had subconsciously been leaning forward further and further as they were talking, but now she sank back onto the pillows and turned to look out the window. It was as if he had left the room, and was not sitting next to her bed, waiting for her to answer the question.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Nothing," she replied, her gaze never leaving the window. And suddenly, David knew that their conversation was over.

"Well," he said, rising to his feet. "Get some rest. We have to start planning as soon as possible. I'll come find you later this afternoon." He turned for the door and began to move to leave when her voice stopped him.

"David?"

He turned back to her. She did not meet his eyes.

"When was the last collapse? Before Balterossa?" she asked.

He had to think a moment. "About a week ago. Why?" He saw anxiety flash across her face.

"I'll find you in an hour, we're running out of time."

* * *

Sexual tension much? Yummy.

As I neared the end of this chapter I realized this story is wrapping up pretty soon - I'd say maybe three chapters left. Thanks to everyone that had stuck it out with me this entire time!


	9. Chapter 9

Sacrifice

Chapter IX

* * *

_"You're going now? Have you gone mad? The committee from the Congress will be here in a few minutes. You don't have the time-"_

_ "I only need a few minutes."_

_ "But that's hours up there!"_

_ He was at her heels, following her as she ran up the spiraling stairs as fast as her feet could carry her. The shuffling of their steps echoed off the stone walls, the sound swelling in the narrow corridor as they continued to climb. She ignored his words, reaching the top of the steps and pushing open a door harder than necessary._

_ They entered a room that was littered with odd metal mechanisms and flasks which held liquids of every color. Papers with notes, sketches and charts were everywhere, some pinned to the walls, some strewn about the floor while thick piles of them occupied the tables and chairs about the room. Tea cups were scattered all over, and some of them looked as though they had not been touched in days. A sandwich from which only one bite had been taken sat on the pages of an open book. This had been the headquarters of Lenne and her team's research._

_ During his time as her assistant he had come to know her better than most of their colleagues, and while she had been able to hide many of her emotions from them, he could see right through her. It was in this tower room that he had watched Lenne sink into obsession about the remnant graveyard. He'd watched as her priorities had one by one slipped away from her until only her work remained. He had even found her sleeping here on occasion._

_ "Lenne," he called to her as she crossed the room. "You can't go. The Congress put a hold on all Academy activities after the Remnants disappeared, you know this! Lenne answer me!"_

_ He grabbed her by the elbow and turned her to face him. Her eyes met his, unblinking. Her face was emotionless._

_ "This is my last chance," she finally spoke, her tone flat and even. "They're going to close down our research."_

_ "Then why go? Why bother? Just let it go." He gripped both of her arms and almost shook her as he spoke. He saw something wild in her eyes, a loss of the hard emotional control she had always shown before._

_ Since the events ten days previous which had caused the Remnants to disappear from the planet, the Academy had put an immediate hold on all research being performed, no matter its nature. At first Lenne had been compliant, instructing her staff to go home and wait for news before heading home herself. That night she had run a hot bath and stayed in it long after it had gone cold, thinking to herself in silence. She knew that with the Remnants gone it was very possible that she was going to be unemployed soon, but that was not the thought that kept echoing in her mind. _

_ 'Would it still work…'_

_ "I need to see it, just once more." Her tone was raw and vulnerable. It caught him off guard momentarily, yet their eyes never left one another's. The room fell silent except for the sound of their breathing._

_ "Then let me come with you," he pleaded with her, his hands trailing down her arms to take hold of her small hands. Alarm crossed her features._

_ "No," she whispered, shaking her head._

_ "It's ready, isn't it? You've done what your subordinates could not," he said, smirking at her._

_ "It hasn't been tested, I don't know if it can take both of us," she protested, taking a step backwards and out of his reach._

_ "This is your only chance to find out," he said, smiling at her._

_ She was silent for only a short second as she considered him. _

_ "Fine." He followed her to the back of the room, where she quickly opened the lock on a small silver box. _

_ "Sit on the floor," she told him as she reached inside. "It'll make landing easier, trust me."_

_ He laughed nervously as he kneeled on the floor, a smile crossing his lips. "You would know best." He looked up and leaned sideways to look around her as she lifted a loop of delicate gold from the box. The loop was gold yet not metal; it seemed to be made of liquid as it shimmered and shaped itself to the contour of her skin. At the end of the loop were two halves of circles, one larger than the other. The larger was connected to the loop of gold, and the smaller seemed to simply float within it._

_ "We'll have to hold onto each other very tightly. It would be bad if we ended up separated," she said absent-mindedly as she reached with her other hand into the box. She slowly removed another loop with circle halves, identical to the first. _

_ "Your wrist will stay in the loop until we're both there and conscious. Both of us, understand?"_

_ "I see, you just want to hold my hand," he tried to joke with her, but could not keep his voice from shaking slightly. She ignored his remark and slowly brought her hands closer together, a loop hanging from each._

_ The circle halves were drawn to each other like magnets. They rose upwards towards each other, tugging on their lengths of chain in an attempt to close the distance between them like magnets. As Lenne brought them closer together the circle halves clanged together loudly and met amidst a shower of gold sparks. _

_ He jumped slightly in surprise while Lenne stood unaffected. His eyes darted quickly between the item and her face, yet her gaze never left the circles now formed at the end of two loops of gold. He followed her gaze. At the end of the loops, swirling within the smaller circle, an orb that glowed with a faint red light had formed. At her touch, the rings began to slowly revolve around the orb, passing through the chains as if they were made of water._

_ "Lenne," he said quietly, his tone becoming serious._

_ "Yes?" she replied, not looking at him._

_ "Thank you," he said earnestly._

_ She slowly transferred the loops to one hand, and then finally turned around to face him. She looked down upon his face, which looked eager and slightly frightened. Her heart began to pound loudly in her ears._

_ "I'm sorry," she said, meaning it._

_ "Wha-" he began to ask, but never finished his question, before she swung the silver box into the side of his head. He fell over sideways clutching his temple, dazed but still conscious. She took a few wide strides away from him to the opposite corner of the room, slipping her wrists through the loops as she__moved. She moved behind a bookcase, out of his line of sight, before kneeling and cupping her hands around the outer ring. She suddenly heard footsteps outside the door. She took in a deep breath before closing her eyes._

_ Through her eyelids she could see the light around her changing. She felt a great weight being pressed onto her shoulders, the effect of gravity trying to keep her on the planet while a force from another world pulled her away from it. The brightness of her research department__slowly dimmed away and was replaced with subtle grey. She heard thunder crack above her and braced herself for impact. She hit the ground hard but was ready for it, still kneeling with her legs tucked close to her body. She threw a hand forward to keep her balance and felt her fingers sink into sand. Only then did she open her eyes. _

_ As her eyes swept across the horizon she immediately noticed that the number of remnants that were present seemed to have doubled since her last trip. They were scattered over the landscape, towering above the grey sand that seemed to stretch on to eternity. Some were as tall as Elysion buildings, and Lenne could do nothing but stare at them, her face blank and emotionless as the wind tangled her hair and sent it flailing in all directions around her. She thought she could see the far off outline of the Elysian remnant whenever the wind died momentarily, but she couldn't be sure._

_ In the distance she could see a passage that led into a cavern framed with sharp rocks that seemed to shoot out of the ground and towards the sky. She knew in that room resided a machine that looked like the orb on the chain she held, except that the rings were missing. She had no idea as to what it was for. She had explored it on her second journey here, and the machine had simply sat dormant as she studied it. Now, the thought that she would lose this place without ever discovering its purpose made her heart sink in her chest._

_ That was when she suddenly heard an unfamiliar sound behind her; steps being taken in the sand._

_ She stood frozen, feeling the hair on her neck stand on end. She had never encountered another living creature in this place. She had nothing with which she could defend herself, not even anything to improvise with. She stood clutching the golden loops from which the sphere and its' rings dangled, swaying slightly in the wind. She instantly began assessing her options; fight or flight. _

_ She knew that the transporter back to Elysion was not far, but she wasn't sure if she could outrun whatever was stalking her from behind. And if she happened to make it to her way home, what would happen if the creature followed her onto the platform? Would it too be sent back to Elysion? She knew that, in theory, her idea for increasing the capability of the artifact which transported her here would work. She had complete confidence in it. But she couldn't reappear in the lab with some monster at her side. _

_ 'Figures', she thought as she heard the steps getting close. 'Fight it is.'_

_ She shoved the loops quickly into her pocket and wheeled around, raising her arms to defend herself as she did so. What her eyes fell upon though was definitely not what she had expected._

_ A boy with ruffled dark hair and torn, dirty clothes stood before her. He seemed to be only a teenager, and he openly stared at her as she stared back. His eyes were grey and stormy, and he looked exhausted. _

_ "Who the hell are you?" Lenne blurted out suddenly. She could not hide the shock in her voice._

_ "I'm..." he started then stopped to clear his throat. His voice sounded hoarse, as if it had been overused. "Rush, Rush Sykes."_

_ "Sykes?" she repeated, raising herself up to her full height and dropping her arms at her side. "As in John and Marina Sykes? The researchers?"_

_ She saw his face darken at the mention of their names, and his eyes began to sparkle slightly. His eyes drifted down to the ground and he opened his mouth to respond, yet no sound came out. He quickly closed it and only nodded._

_ She continued to stare at him in shock. The only noise around them for moments was the wind._

_ "How did you get here?" She finally asked, taking a step closer to him. His eyes remained downcast as he answered her. _

_ "I'm a remnant. Well, I was…I don't think I am anymore."_

_ The casualness with which he said it seemed almost insulting, but in an instant she knew he was telling the truth. Not only was there no other viable explanation, but she could feel his honesty. _

_ "Amazing…" she muttered to herself. "A person being a remnant. But you said you aren't anymore?"_

_ "I don't think so," he replied, finally raising his eyes to meet hers. The tears that had formed in his eyes were gone. She could not describe why, but at that moment she decided she liked this Rush Sykes._

_ "Why not?"_

_ "I can't do any of the things I used to be able to."_

_ "Like what, exactly?" she asked._

_ "Well, uh…I used to be able to slow down time in short bursts. And I could make things move when I'd get really worked up, but not anymore. But I can still hear the other ones…"_

_ "There's more like you?" She exclaimed, practically screaming at him in surprise._

_ "No no," he said, holding up his hands to stop her. "The ones that were in the cities which are now here…I can still hear them."_

_ She stared at him for a moment longer before turning away from him. Her eyes began to dart around frantically as she tried to process what she was hearing. She dug her fingers deep into her hair at her scalp and grabbed two handfuls of hair and pulled. She wasn't dreaming._

_ "Do you know if Dave is okay?"_

_ "Who?" she asked, turning back to face him, her hair being caught wildly again in the wind. _

_ "Uh…David Nassau, the Marquis of Athlum. He was there when…" His voiced tapered off as he couldn't finish the sentence._

_ "You were there with him when all this happened, weren't you?" She asked, the pieces falling into place in her mind quicker than she could speak. "You made the remnants disappear?"_

_ He nodded, keeping his eyes intensely focused on her as he still waited for her to answer his own question._

_ "Along with yourself?"_

_ Another nod, this one more hesitant than the first. He took a step closer to her, and his eyes pleaded with her. She sighed, obviously annoyed with his concern._

_ "He's just fine," she said harshly. "In fact he's so fine that he's just voted in favor of dissolving the Academy, and of putting me out of a job." She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him, looking off at the horizon. "Of taking this away from me…" she said quieter, not caring if he heard her, and he did._

_ "You work at the Academy?" he asked, taking one final step that put him right next to her. She continued to gaze off in the distance, as she found it hard to tear her eyes away from their surroundings._

_ "Is that how you got here?" He asked. She nodded. Rush could feel his heart pounding against his ribs as he asked his next question._

_ "Can you get us home?"_

_ She turned to look at him, her eyes searching his face._

_ "Well, yeah, I'm pretty sure it- HEY!" She shrieked at him as he lunged at her, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her off the ground as he practically squeezed the life out of her._

_ "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He yelled as he began to spin in a circle, throwing his head back and laughing. Although startled, she could not help but smile at his excitement. He quickly put her back on her feet, steadying her shoulders before taking a step back._

_ "Sorry about that," he said, looking at her and smiling ear to ear. _

_ "It's alright," she said. "I'm pretty sure it will work though," she continued what she had been trying to say earlier. "I've been working to improve the strength of this thing," she said, pulling the artifact from her pocket. "I haven't tested it yet, but I really think it could transport two now."_

_ "Oh," he said, and she could tell that he had sensed she was slightly doubtful. "Here!" he suddenly exclaimed, reaching into his shirt and pulling off a necklace. "Maybe this could help."_

_ He handed her his talisman, and she examined it curiously. It seemed nothing but a lifeless crystal to her._

_ "What is it?"_

_ "My mom gave it to me, and it's always helped me when I needed it." _

_ She eyed him skeptically. "But it's just a stone."_

_ "No way! It used to be a remnant too! Hey, it's worth a shot, right?"_

_ "I guess," she said, unable to fight his enthusiasm although she could not think of how it could possibly help them. Shrugging, she placed it into the same pocket that held the artifact. "I'll return it to you on the surface." He nodded, satisfied. _

_ "So you were working here?" He asked, a new eagerness filing his voice. _

_ "Yes, I was conducting research here," she said, her face falling slightly as she looked off at the horizon behind him. "There are so many things I'll never know now."_

_ "Like what? I can hear them, maybe I can tell you."_

_ She looked back at him and tilted her head slightly to the side, considering him. "Are you always this helpful?"_

_ He smiled again at her. "Well, you're going to save me from this place, it's the least I can do."_

_ She couldn't help but smile back at him._

_ "How exactly do you talk to them?" she asked._

_ "Oh, I can't actually talk to them. I can just catch their voices, just barely…like whispers."_

_ "I see. And what do they say?"_

_ He placed his hands on his hips. "Well, for one, they're pretty pissed off."_

_ "I can imagine."_

_ "Yeah…they're still in there though," he said, looking off at the towering figures dotting the horizon. "They're very weak. Some of them say that they're going to fade away forever."_

_ "I see." Lenne replied, following his gaze out across the desert "And what's that one for?" She raised an arm to point off into the distance where the machine slept in its cavern. _

_ "C'mon, I'll show you!" Before she could protest, Rush had grabbed her hand and began to run towards the path that led to the cavern's mouth. She let him pull her along, and she felt an excitement quickly growing in her chest. They ran through the desert, maneuvering around a large remnant that stood frozen in their path, and she had the feeling that this one had not been present on her previous trips. Lenne glanced upwards as they passed it and her steps faltered. The remnant towered above her, but she could just make out the top; it resembled a sword. The Valeria Heart._

_ She felt a chill run through her blood._

_ "Rush," she tried to get his attention, but he did not hear her and continued to pull her along._

_ "Rush!" she called again, louder this time. He slowed down slightly and glanced at her over his shoulder. _

_ "What?" he called back to her._

_ "Are we safe here?"_

_ His steps slowed more as he looked along the horizon, craning his neck over one shoulder, then the other. The excitement she'd felt a moment before started to evaporate. "Yeah," he replied after a pause that was too long for her comfort. She too began to look along the horizon, but could see nothing but remnants and sand._

_ They arrived at the entrance of the cavern and he finally released her hand as they came to a halt._

_ "When we had arrived in the Sacred Lands that last time, we found the Conqueror with a machine like this," Rush began to explain as they stared upwards at the machine from the doorway. Lenne noticed immediately that since the event that had occurred on the planet's surface, the matching rings had materialized around the machine. "It obeyed the will of the user; he was going to use it to release the remnants, but I overpowered him and used it to destroy them. This one is the same, except I haven't been able to awaken it."_

_ "Why not?" _

_ "I don't know; it's almost like it just doesn't have power."_

_ Lenne's hand moved instinctively to her hip and she removed the artifact from her pocket. She took five confident steps forward, closing the distance between her and the machine in seconds. Rush followed her with his eyes and saw light glint off the gold of the chains._

_ "What-" he began to ask, but his question was cut off but a deep rumble that filled the room. The orb of the machine had become lit from within, and the rings began to slowly rotate around it. It hummed with energy as Lenne stood before it, holding the chains out towards the machine._

_ "So this machine can destroy them or bring them to life? Restore them to the planet?" she asked as Rush slowly stepped forward to stand at her side._

_ "Yeah," he said, raising his hand to place it on her shoulder. He could see that her eyes had become unfocused in thought, but would not look away from the machine. "But it's not a power that one person should ever yield. It's not right for one to decide the fate of all." He told her gently as he tugged her shoulder, pulling her away from the machine._

_ His words finally drew her eyes away from the marvel that was before her. Her gaze slowly drifted to his face, and she lowered the chains. The hum in the room died instantly and the machine faded back into lifelessness. "You're right," she agreed. "It's just...amazing."_

_ "Yeah, but I'd have to say I've seen enough of it for a lifetime," Rush replied, removing his hand from her shoulder. _

_ "Well, this," she said, motioning to the artifact, "is likely to be destroyed or locked away as soon as we get back, since the Academy is being dissolved. I actually had to sneak here this time," Lenne said, her voice trailing off. She suddenly remembered her assistant back at the lab, and hoped that she had not injured his head too badly. He would likely be furious with her. Looking back, she could not exactly say why she had behaved in such a way. She supposed it was jealousy at having to share this amazing discovery with another person. If she had brought her assistant with her, she would have had to leave one behind, and she wasn't sure she would be able to make another trip. It almost seemed like fate that she had randomly acted so strangely, even though she did not believe in such a thing._

_ "Well, I guess we should go," she said, her eyes taking in the cavern one last time. Rush waited patiently, understanding that she was leaving behind something that had meant more to her than he understood. After a moment she turned towards the door, slipped the artifact back into her pocket, and together they walked back out into the desert._

_ They made their way slowly towards the transporter that would send them home. Rush asked her questions along the way about her research, which she answered briefly without going into much detail. He could tell she was lost in her own thoughts. As the transporter came into view, Rush could feel his face becoming warm with excitement. The transporter was a simple platform, and much like the machine in the cavern, he could understand what it was for without knowing how he knew it. It too had simply lain dormant though, no matter what he had desperately tried to make it work. But now, Lenne had appeared out of nowhere, and she had his ticket home, back to Irina, his parents, and Dave. He found himself unable to stop smiling._

_ "What's your name by the way? I was so excited earlier that I forgot to ask," he asked._

_ "Lenne," she replied, turning to look at him, when suddenly her eyes widened in terror. _

_ "Look out!" she screamed, but she was too late. Before Rush could turn to look behind him, he felt something hit the back of his head, and he staggered forward onto the sand. He saw stars behind his eyelids and hissed in pain. He began to struggle to get up, understanding instantly what was going on. _

_ "Foolish girl," he heard a deep voice breathe above him. Panic flooded through Rush as he heard heavy footsteps pass over him towards Lenne. _

_ "Stay away from me!" she screamed at him, backing away from the Conqueror. She watched him closely, trying to maintain the distance between them. She had never seen the Conqueror in person when he was marching across the continent stirring up a war, but she recognized him instantly. He'd been described as a blonde giant, which at the time she'd shrugged off as over excitement. Now that he stood only feet from her, marching towards her threateningly, she did not think it was an exaggeration at all._

_ The Conqueror lunged at her suddenly, closing the distance between them in two long strides, but she was ready for him. She dodged to the side and began to run. She tried to put some distance between them while looking around on the ground, searching the sea of sand for anything she could use to defend herself. He caught up to her after only a few seconds, and lunged at her again. He hooked an arm around her legs and dragged her down onto the sand. She began to struggle against him in vain as he overpowered her. He was easily twice her size, and he rolled her over onto her back, straddling her legs making her unable to kick at him. He maneuvered one of his knees onto one of her hands and let all his weight rest on it. She screamed out in pain, feeling the bones in her hand being crushed.__She lashed out at him with her other hand desperately, aiming for his eyes, but he snatched her hand out of the air. His hands were huge compared to hers, and before she could move again his free hand flew to her throat. He had no trouble reaching almost all the way around her neck with a single hand, and she felt him begin to squeeze. Tears flowed from her eyes, leaving track marks through the thin layer of dust that covered her face. She felt the blood in her temples throbbing as he squeezed harder, and her vision began to go dark. _

_ Suddenly his hand released her, and she began to gasp for air as she heard a commotion next to her. Rush had gotten to his feet and charged at the Conqueror, throwing his entire body into him from the side. The two men went tumbling across the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust as they went. _

_ Lenne rolled onto her side, still gasping for air, and tried to see Rush through the dust. She began to cough even harder as she breathed in the dust in the air, and her eyes stung and continued to tear._

_ "Rush?" she called out between coughs. "Rush?"_

_ "Lenne go!" she heard him call out. As the dust started to clear she could see him and the Conqueror grappling at each other in the dirt. At Rush's words the Conqueror's attention turned back to her, and he tried to grab at her again. She scurried out of his reach, and Rush grabbed him again. _

_ "I can't hold him off and we can't let him leave, get out of here!" He yelled at her. The Conqueror was still trying to reach for her, and Lenne could see Rush beginning to tire. _

_ "But-"_

_ "Go!" he screamed at her, cutting off her protest. She met his eyes one last time before she scrambled to her feet and began to run towards the transporter, pulling the chains from her pocket as she went. She reached the platform only seconds later and it sprung to life, pulsing with light and beginning to hum with energy. A translucent shield formed around it, shimmering gold and rippling around her._

_ There was a sudden deafening bang against the shield behind her, and she screamed as she spun on her heels. The Conqueror stood only a foot from her, his fists banging angrily against the barrier that glittered between them. She shrunk away from him although she knew he could not get through the shield that formed as the platform charged up to send her back to the planet's surface. One of his fists dripped with blood, and she could not tell who it belonged to. She looked beyond him and could not see any sign of Rush. _

_ Tears began to flow angrily down her face as she glared at the Conqueror. He stared at her murderously, unable to do anything to stop her departure. She clutched the artifact in her uninjured hand while cradling her crushed one as she sank to her knees, exhausted and overcome with a sudden feeling of failure. She did not react as she heard the hum of the platform reach a deafening level and felt the floor drop out from beneath her. She began to sob out loud, but could not hear her own voice over the roaring of wind around her. She felt heat around her as she rocketed towards the surface, the gold shield leaving a trail of smoke across the sky._

_ Unprepared for it, she hit the floor of her research lab and crumpled into a ball. _

_ "Grab her!"_

_ Before she could react, she felt herself being hooked under her arms and raised to her feet. Two guards had been awaiting her return, and she saw a team of people she did not recognize spread amongst the lab, compiling papers and placing objects into crates. Her assistant was seated in a chair, holding a cloth to his head._

_ She began to struggle against the guards, trying to free herself, but the two large men overpowered her easily. She screamed and was forced to her knees as they tried to pull her hands behind her back. She heard something metallic fall to the floor, and reached out blindly towards the sound, but one of the strangers in the room had already grabbed it._

_ "Destroy that blasted thing," she heard her assistant tell them as the guards were finally managing to bind her hands behind her back. The man who now held the artifact stepped in front of her, into her view, and she could see by his uniform that he was the leader of the committee. He placed the object on the floor in front of her before raising his staff above it._

_ "No!" she shrieked as he brought it down upon it. It split into four pieces which scattered across the floor in different directions. _

* * *

Lenne's eyes came back into focus as the memory faded. She was standing under the shower attached to the small room in which she had been put inside Athlum castle. As soon as David had left her room, she had climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom, stripping off her clothes and tossing them aside as she went. Her conversation with him had left a renewed panic in her stomach, but she couldn't ignore that her face felt like it was burning.

_Foolish man,_ she thought, leaning her forehead against the cool stone wall of the shower. There hadn't been a day in the last two years that she didn't remember what had happened with Rush and the Conqueror. For two years she had been stricken with guilt, knowing that if she hadn't been so selfish she could have gotten Rush back to the planet. Her greediness to understand the machine had cost them time, and the opportunity to possibly get to the platform safely. She knew she may have cost him his life. Two years on the planet…she shuddered at the thought of how long that was in the graveyard.

When she reappeared in her lab, she'd been arrested immediately and dragged out of the Academy, past many of her former colleagues who stared at her in shock. Only after she had been thrown into a holding room and had been able to calm down had she noticed that her hand no longer hurt. She'd stared at it in confusion for a long time, flexing her fingers occasionally, until she suddenly burst into tears.

She'd been released later that night as no punishment was brought against her. Behind the door where she was kept she heard whispers that she was suffering from the stress of losing her work, and that the Congress had expressed to give leniency to Academy members who had reacted badly to the decision. When she returned home, she was not surprised to look in the mirror and find no trace of bruising or marks on her neck from the Conqueror's hands. It was almost as if it had never happened, as if it had been a nightmare. Except it had happened, and she had been left with no way to make it right.

She continued to stand under the shower for half an hour, before finally dragging herself out to face what came next on her way to finishing what she started.

* * *

"My Lord, Pagus is awake."

David had just left the room in which Lenne was being kept to find Torgal and Emmy waiting for him.

"Stay to keep watch on her door, please," he asked Torgal, and without another word he and Emmy set off for the medical ward.

"When did he wake up?" he asked Emmy as they went.

"Not twenty minutes ago. I wanted to tell you immediately, but Torgal said it better not to interrupt you speaking with Lenne, since that seems to be the only way we can get results out of her."

"Yes, that does seem to be the case. What's been done about getting the word out that Lenne is dead?"

"The guards that were on duty in the audience chamber that night were all on shift there again last night. Torgal and Blocter staged a brief conversation in which they discussed Athlum's guards that were slain along with a woman from the rebellion. The spy was sure to have been there and overheard it."

"Excellent. While I visit Pagus I'll need your help with something."

"Anything, My Lord."

"I'll need you to help me disguise Lenne. Bring her a spare set of your battle clothes, even though you're a bit taller than her. I'll also need you to run into town and visit a potion master."

"For what?" Emmy asked, confused by the latter request.

"Get something to bleach her hair. We have to try to make her hard to recognize and I wouldn't trust any of the staff nor the other generals to run these errands without it raising eyebrows."

Emmy nodded in understanding before saluting David and leaving him to continue on towards the medical ward alone. Lenne's last words had put a renewed urgency in his steps. Although they had all noticed the collapses occurring closer and closer to each other, they had not really considered it closely. Lenne obviously thought differently.

He entered Pagus' room to find a doctor at his bedside. They seemed to be in the middle of an intense conversation. Pagus still looked very frail to David, and as he watched he noticed that the general seemed to have to labor hard to speak. The doctor, upon noticing David in the doorway, told Pagus he'd return in a little while and left the room, bowing his head slightly to David as he passed.

"Lord David," Pagus said quietly from his bed upon noticing his presence.

"Pagus," was all David could say as he approached his childhood mentor and sat in the chair the doctor had just vacated. Pagus looked upon him with wise, tired eyes for a moment before speaking.

"Don't worry, we all have our time, and mine is not quite yet."

David's lips tugged slightly into a sad smile.

"Now, my boy, what of the girl? Any news?" Pagus asked, struggling to raise himself into a sitting position. David rose instantly from his chair to help him, rearranging his pillows so that the Qsiti could lay comfortably upright.

"Quite a bit actually, thanks to you."

"Ah," Pagus sighed knowingly. "A softer approach was appropriate?"

David nodded, walking quietly to the door and closing it before resuming his seat at Pagus' bedside. "She turned out to be more valuable than expected. She is indeed former Academy."

"Just as Blocter thought."

David nodded again. "And she may have the means to save Rush."

Pagus' eyes widened slightly at this. David spent the next half hour summarizing for Pagus what he had learned from Lenne. As he told him about her claim of spawning the Fornstrand remnant, he noticed Pagus' face darken.

"What is it?"

"David," he started, his tone grave. "This implies that this artifact could return the remnants to this world."

"Exactly," David replied eagerly, his voice growing eager. "Imagine, no more collapses. No more rebellions against the Lords. We could bring peace back to the world-"

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"My Lord," Blocter called from the other side. David called for him to enter.

"We've all assembled for the meeting early, Lenne insisted and somehow got Torgal to agree with her."

"Surprising," David replied. "I'll be just a moment." Blocter nodded and closed the door behind him.

"David," Pagus said urgently, drawing his attention back to him. "You know that I will support your decisions, always…" he started, pausing to take a breath. "But remember the lessons of the past."

A chilling silence fell over the room. David had not expected opposition to bringing the remnants back to the world. The fact that an objection would come from the wisest person he had ever known sent a wave of doubt through him.

"Of course," David replied, never breaking eye contact with the general. He reached out for Pagus' small hand, which felt weak and thin in his own. "I must go."

Pagus nodded, and David rose from his chair and had reached the door when Pagus called out to him.

"Yes?" David replied, turning from the door to look back to him.

"Don't let Rush's sacrifice be for naught."

David stood still and silent at his words. After a long moment, he reached for the doorknob of the room. "I won't," he said quietly before slipping out of the room.

Blocter stood waiting for him in the hallway outside the room. "We're meeting in Torgal's quarters. We don't want to have to move her very far and risk someone seeing her."

David only nodded as they began to walk in silence. They reached Torgal's chambers, where the sovani, Lenne and Emmy sat at a table. A folded general's uniform sat on the table before Lenne.

"I'll run into town after the meeting," Emmy told David as he joined them at the table. He nodded to her in acknowledgement.

"So," he began, folding his hands on the table in front of him and turning towards Lenne. "According to you, we're running out of time?"

She only nodded.

"Time before what?"

"I don't know exactly," she replied. David heard Blocter let out an annoyed sigh.

"Any guesses?" David asked. He knew she was not without an idea.

"I think the collapses are signaling a growing instability of the planet. Without the remnants we continue to suffer natural disasters and monster invasions just as when the remnants were here and unbound."

"So you believe you need to return to that graveyard in order to restore them to the planet?"

"What, so those Rebellion scum can use 'em to overthrow the Lords?" Blocter interrupted, raising his voice at her.

"This isn't about some political power struggle, this is about the fate of the world! Of everyone in it!" she snapped at him, clenching her fists.

"I don't know if I can accept this," Blocter said. "Not from her."

"I couldn't care less about the Rebellion's agenda," she hissed at him. "I was using them to retrieve the pieces of the artifact that could restore order to this world."

"And we're to believe you won't try to use us for the same purpose?" Torgal asked, one ear slanting sideways in skepticism.

"Do I really have a choice anymore?" she asked him through clenched teeth.

"Enough," David called, raising his hand and silencing them. "Even I admit it hard to swallow that this entire time, you've been on a private mission to save the world." Her mouth fell open and she looked at him incredulously. He continued before she could object. "Regardless, we now know what you're after and what it's capable of. And we would be fools to not pursue this. So for now, everyone, our goal is the same. We need to recover this artifact and have it safely in Athlum's possession before anyone else can retrieve it." He paused, letting everyone consider his words. Torgal and Emmy both sat expressionless, yet David could read them both as being in agreement with him. Blocter and Lenne both looked as though they had swallowed something sour.

"What do you expect the Rebellion will do next?" He asked Lenne.

"My assistant knows the most about it besides me, and he's part of the Rebellion," Lenne started. An image flashed before David's eyes – the man on the horse who, the night Lenne had been traded for Qubine, had reached out to caress her cheek.

"But I had the pieces we had retrieved so far, and now they think I'm dead. I suspect they're just trying to regroup and think of another plan. This buys us some time without them being active."

"Where are the pieces that you have?" asked Torgal.

"Hidden in Elysion."

David heard another sigh of annoyance from Blocter.

"Why would they give up if your assistant knows so much?" asked Emmy.

"Because he knows that he's missing a vital piece of information that makes the artifact work."

"Which is?"

"The trigger word."

"Pardon?" David asked. He had not foreseen anything being required beyond reuniting the pieces. He felt his stomach sink in disappointment.

"There's a word required to trigger the artifact. It would have been reckless to have it sitting in my lab and available for anyone to use at will," Lenne explained, her tone becoming exasperated.

David silently swore to himself, but almost immediately his mind began to create a solution. If she had indeed strengthened it to transport two at a time, he could force her to take him along with her if she wanted to return to the graveyard. This put more importance than ever on Athlum attaining at least one piece, and he fought the urge to take her immediately to the vault and force her to give him the one that resided there.

"Alright, regardless, we need to discuss retrieving the rest of the pieces. I won't bother asking for the trigger word because I know you won't give it to us," he said, his jaw tightening in anger.

"So there is a piece in Athlum's vault and one in Elysion's?" Torgal asked, his tone even and calm.

"Yes."

"So the only concern then is how to get Elysion's."

Blocter snorted through his nose. "That'll be damn near impossible."

"Not to mention we're discussing treason against a fellow nation," Torgal added gravely.

"Not really, we just have to get lucky," Emmy said. All the heads at the table turned towards her, and they could see her eyes widening as she formulated a plan in her mind.

"We know the collapses are going to happen more and more frequently, right? So that means Elysion is bound to have one sooner or later-"

"So is Athlum at this rate," Torgal interrupted her.

"Exactly!" Emmy said. She looked around the table and saw four clearly confused faces.

"We know the collapses are getting closer and closer together, so there could be one in any city at any time. It's foolish if the Lords keep dispatching their troops to other countries when they could be needed at home as soon as they leave. Lord David could contact the other Lords and convince them to suspend the treaty-"

"That treaty's what's kept the cities safe the last two years," Blocter interrupted her.

"I know, I know," Emmy said, raising her hands to forestall his objection. "But the situation has changed drastically. When that treaty was signed collapses only occurred every month or so. A city could afford to be short on soldiers for a week at a time, but not now. The other Lords have to be thinking the same thing."

"Get to the point Emmy."

"If Lord David can get them to suspend the treaty, it gives us an alibi for when we sneak into Elysion while it's suffering a collapse. Plus the city would be in chaos and they'd never notice us slipping in."

An eerie silence fell over the table.

"It's brilliant," Lenne was first to speak.

"It's still treason," Torgal reminded them.

"It might be the only way," David said. "We cannot ask permission to go into Elysion's vault without raising suspicion. And you can be sure they would have us chaperoned at all times even if they did allow it. It's what I would do."

"You intend to completely keep the other Lords out of this?" Torgal asked.

"Would you trust them with this? Two years ago we never foresaw Hermeien being so easily corrupted," Emmy retorted.

"If other Lords get involved, I won't cooperate," Lenne stated firmly. David could not help but notice that there suddenly seemed to be an alliance of sorts between the two women, something he never would have expected.

Although they continued to argue and debate for nearly an hour, the discussion resulted in everyone, one by one, conceding to Emmy's plan. David left the conference room briefly to dispatch messages to his fellow Lords. He made a point to include a short statement regarding the death of a Rebellion woman during a night attack on the castle before sharing the observation that the collapses were occurring more frequently. He then proposed a suspension of the treaty that bound all the nations into supporting one another during collapses, stating that no city should be left vulnerable and that they all should prepare to defend themselves.

"Who exactly is going to go to Elysion when all dis goes down?" Blocter asked after David returned to the table.

David drew in a deep breath. He'd considered who would be going on this mission as soon as he had heard Emmy's plan. His choice had been quick, for to him it felt obvious.

"Emmy will have to stay here," he stated confidently. He watched as Emmy's eyes widened and she looked as if she was about to protest, when suddenly understanding crossed her face.

"Bleach…I get it."

"Lenne has to come to retrieve the pieces she has hidden while she can, and we need to make her as unrecognizable as possible. Even if it means she is misidentified as Emmy," David continued. He noticed everyone's gaze had turned to the uniform folded in front of Lenne.

"So Lenne is my alibi, and I am her's?" Emmy asked.

"Exactly. Blocter will need to stay as well. I need someone here in the capacity of watching over Athlum, and if Emmy is supposed to be with us, someone else will need to step into those shoes before she blows her cover."

David watched Blocter's face as he said this. He could tell that the yama was not happy with this plan, but he made no protest.

"How are we going to explain our presence if we are seen?" Torgal asked, and David subconsciously acknowledged how surprising it was that Torgal seemed to be in agreement with this plan.

"We're going to have to try our best not to be seen. We may have to try sneaking into the vaults during the night, if possible-"

"You plan on going?" Torgal interrupted him, eyeing him with an emotion that David could not discern between concern and disapproval.

"Absolutely." David added, looking at Torgal. He saw Torgal grimace, but the general didn't argue with him.

"You'll be coming as well Torgal," David added, but the sovani's expression remained unchanged.

"Dun we have some maps of Elysion from a few years ago? When we were lookin' for Irina?" Blocter interjected.

"I believe so. We'll need to retrieve them from the library archives and find the best way to reach the vault." David replied.

The table fell into silence for a long moment before Emmy spoke up.

"So now we wait?"

"Yes," David replied. "We can continue to refine this plan until we get news of a collapse. Now, Emmy, if you could take care of that errand I spoke of earlier, please."

"Of course," she replied. She rose from the table, and the meeting came to an informal end. Blocter made a point to catch David's eye before saluting and leaving the room. David could easily read the message in it; that although Blocter was not fond of the plan, he still completely supported his decisions. David could not ignore the slight tightening of his chest at the show of continued loyalty.

David, Lenne and Torgal remained at the table, all quiet and lost in their own thoughts.

"You're gonna chop off my hair, aren't you?" Lenne finally asked, breaking the silence.

David could not help but chuckle. "That's the greatest concern you have?"

"Not in the slightest," she replied darkly. Torgal snorted through his nose across the table as he rose from his seat.

"I'll head towards the vault and remove all guards posted along the way. Wait a few moments before you head down there."

David nodded in acknowledgement, and Torgal left the room.

"Listen," David said after the door closed, leaning closer to her. She turned to face him slowly, and he could see in her face that she was distracted by her thoughts.

"After we retrieve all the pieces, they'll be brought here before we do anything with them. I know you're a reasonable person, and when we discuss what to do with them your opinion will be heard, at least by me. So let's take this one step at a time." He spoke to her slowly and calmly.

"So what you're really saying is 'don't try anything'," she replied, but there was no sarcasm in her tone.

"I'm saying trust me to do the right thing."

She stared at him, considering his words. After a long pause, she only nodded.

"Alright. Let's go. Here," he said, tossing her a cloak that Torgal had left behind. "Pull the hood up, just in case."

They left Torgal's quarters and wove through the halls of the castle, their steps swift. Lenne kept her head down, and she couldn't help but bristle every time his hand lightly touched the small of her back as David guided her through doors and around corners. Torgal was waiting for them at the door to the Academy vault. They entered quickly and Torgal closed the door behind them. As Lenne lifted her eyes and pulled back her hood, David couldn't help but notice her eyes light up.

"Feel free," he told her, motioning towards the room. She left his side instantly and crossed the room with hurried steps. David and Torgal cast sideways glances at each other with raised eyebrows before turning to follow her. She had stopped at a tall bookcase, and extended her arms above her. They saw a silver box on a shelf above her head, and she stood on her toes in an attempt to reach it.

She was suddenly aware of Torgal directly behind her, and her eyes darted to meet his. He stood with his arms crossed, looking down at her with an expressionless face. Their eyes locked as she sank back onto her feet, unnerved by his stare. After a short, tense pause, he reached above her and gently lifted the box from the shelf and handed it down to her.

"Thanks," she said quietly, tightly gripping the box. David couldn't help himself from leaning forward in anticipation of her opening it. She slowly lifted the lid.

The box was empty.

"Shit," she said under her breath, tossing the box to the floor.

For the next twenty minutes Torgal and David stood together, watching Lenne sift through boxes, containers and drawers about the room. The room had remained in untouched disarray for the last two years, and as she moved about the room Lenne sneezed occasionally from the dust being kicked up by her search.

"Are you sure it will be here?" David finally asked her. She ignored him and only continued to search frantically, pushing a box on the floor aside and moving towards a chest of drawers. She pulled them open harder than necessary, scanned each for only a second, then slammed them back into place. Then suddenly all noise in the room ceased, and Torgal and David's eyes both flew to Lenne. She had pulled a drawer open and stood perfectly still, her hands still clutching the handles.

Torgal and David moved together, both closing the distance to stand next to her and peer over her shoulder. They all stared down into a drawer filled with a tangled mess of metal. David noticed suddenly that he was holding his breath, and he turned to look at Lenne's face. Her eyes were wide. Both he and Torgal stood transfixed as she slowly lifted a hand and reached into the drawer, snaking her hand between pieces of metal towards the bottom. A heartbeat later she withdrew her hand slowly, two of her fingers grasping a piece of gold chain. As she continued to withdraw her hand, the object at the end of the chain emerged; a single half-circle with a jagged piece of stone suspended at the center of it.

"That's it?" Torgal asked, unable to hide the slight edge of eagerness in his voice. He and David continued to stare at the object as she held it up to examine it. Their gaze was only averted when they heard a quiet choking noise next to them. They both turned to Lenne. Her lips were tugged downward at the corners, and she was blinking her eyes frantically, trying to keep the tears that had formed in them from falling.

David glanced at Torgal, who understood the look immediately. The sovani's eyes moved back to Lenne briefly before he stepped away from them to the other side of the room.

"What's wrong?" David asked her quietly. She took a deep breath, and David patiently waited to hear what she had to say, but she only extended her hand slightly towards him.

"Keep it on that necklace," she said quietly. His eyes darted back to hers, but she was looking away from him. He took the chain from her and reached into his shirt for Rush's talisman. He quickly looped the two chains together and then looked back at her.

"You trust me with this, yet you won't tell me what's wrong," he stated quietly. Her reaction to finding the object was definitely not what he had expected. He reached out to gently place a hand on her shoulder, but she quickly turned away from him.

"Don't," was her only reply as she moved towards the door where Torgal stood. Torgal had been waiting patiently, purposely diverting his eyes away from them, but as she approached he looked back to David. The sovani's keen eyes did not miss the hurt that flashed over David's face for a second before it was gone. Lenne pulled the hood of her cloak back up, and the three exited the vault. They silently made their way back up to the room Lenne was staying in. She entered and closed the door behind her without another word.

"I'd really feel more at ease if we knew why she was doing this," Torgal said quietly to David as they stared at the door that had just been closed to them.

"The world is at stake. We all did things we never thought we would do two years ago because we had to," David replied, knowing it was only an empty excuse.

"Yes, but you hardly expect tears to be the immediate response to another small step towards success. There's a personal side to this that we don't understand."

David pressed his lips together tightly. He knew Torgal was right, and the same worry had been creeping into the back of his mind for days. He did not need to voice his agreement though, and only nodded.

"I'll take first watch at her door. Go get some rest," Torgal said quietly. David stood unresponsive for a moment, his mind racing, before looking up to Torgal.

"Thank you for your support in this," he said, a small smile crossing his face.

"We all know you too well to not support you," Torgal replied, allowing a smile to also creep onto his face. "Now go ahead, I'll wake you if there's any news."

David left Torgal and returned to his chambers. He removed his shoes and jacket and lay in bed, but was unable to sleep. He could feel the cool metal of Rush's necklace resting on his skin, and he pulled it out and dangled it above him, examining it in the dying firelight. As he watched the semi circle and its stone slowly rotate, reflecting the light of the fire warmly, he could feel his stomach turning in anticipation. He could not keep his mind from racing with thoughts of making right something he had regretted for the last two years. Until only weeks ago he thought he would never get a chance to do so. He just hoped that Rush was still alive, and that Lenne's words were true; that the remnants could be restored, and the world returned to how it used to be.

* * *

Author's Notes: First I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for the huge delay!

This chapter is dedicated to Nadira, my wonderful beta, for her birthday! Sorry it's a few days late girl! To everyone else, thank you for reading and keeping with me through my long, long absences (was anyone else out there suffering through organic and physical chemistry with me? I'd feel better knowing someone was sharing in my pain). Unless something unforeseen happens, there's only going to be two (long) chapters left after this one! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!


	10. Chapter 10

Music: David and Lenne's Theme - "Corynorhinus" by Hans Zimmer (Batman Begins Soundtrack). Possibly one of the saddest, most beautiful songs ever.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Last Remnant.

* * *

Sacrifice

Chapter X

* * *

In the day since it had been decided that Lenne, Torgal and David would sneak into Elysion to retrieve the final piece of the artifact, David and the generals had been making preparations nonstop and with very little sleep. They now met in the conference room, reviewing the status of how everything was progressing.

Emmy had been working with her extremely limited sewing skills to shorten her extra uniform to Lenne's shorter frame. David knew she could not ask the castle tailor to do it without raising eyebrows. Emmy had found the request funny at first, laughing at the memory of her mother attempting to mend her clothes as a child. Emma would struggle only to create a crooked, lopsided garment, which she'd throw into the trash with a few choice words before taking Emmy shopping for new ones. As she worked though, Emmy's inability to control the needle and thread began to extremely aggravate the general. Jager had attempted to help her at first, but her frustration and its accompanying bad mood quickly drove him off, and he delegated himself to keeping her constantly supplied with tea and sweet snacks of some sort.

Blocter had been quietly given control of Athlum's standing army, normally Torgal's responsibility, and had been reviewing troop placements throughout the city. The yama was hovered over a map of Athlum at one end of the table, designing new patrol routes for guards, which Torgal would issue as soon as they were finished. While new patrol routes were configured every few weeks for the city soldiers, these were designed to create a path through the city which would allow the three to leave Athlum hopefully unnoticed.

David had made himself easily available to messengers from the other nations. Qubine had promptly replied in support of the suspension of the treaty, citing a noticeable anxiety in his troops at the thought of leaving Celapaleis during such an unstable time. The young Lord had simultaneously dispatched similar messages to the other Lords, expressing his agreement with David. A messenger from Duke Ghor had arrived only moments before David was to leave for the meeting. To David's relief the nation of warriors had also agreed to the suspension, although the Duke did express concern for the smaller nations, like Baaluk and Melphina.

Torgal meanwhile had begun to dig in the archives for maps of Elysion. He had searched for hours before realizing that no one knew the archives better than Pagus. Leaving the files a mess on the floor he had stood and marched to Pagus' room, ignoring questioning looks from Blocter and Emmy along the way.

_"Pagus," Torgal said as he entered the room, exchanging a small nod of his head in respect with his fellow general._

_ "Torgal, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Pagus replied, a small smile on his face and a knowing look in his eyes._

_ "Are you familiar with any maps or plans of Elysion that may be in the archives?" _

_ "Ah," sighed the qsiti. "Busy planning I see. I do remember seeing some a few years ago, from when we were trying to find Miss Irina. But I'm afraid I do not know where they may be now."_

_ Torgal's ears fell slightly at Pagus' words. Although necessary for their plan, he dreaded the idea of digging through papers for hours and searching without any guidance._

_ "Thank you Pagus," Torgal said quietly after a moment as he bowed his head again. Pagus returned the gesture and leaned back against his pillows again, watching as Torgal approached his door to exit._

_ "Oh, Torgal," the qsiti called out just as the sovani's hand had grasped the door knob. Torgal turned to glance over his shoulder._

_ "Yes?"_

_ "Dig for Elysion maps if you like, but might I suggest browsing the reports of the Althumian soldiers that escorted the Sykes to Elysion after the remnants disappeared."_

_ Torgal's hand left the knob and he folded his arms over his chest, turning to face Pagus fully._

_ "What exactly is in there?" Torgal asked, one corner of his mouth turning upwards in a smirk._

_ "Intelligence, my friend. Intelligence that will most definitely be of help."_

_ Torgal had left Pagus' room and returned to the archive room, a new urgency in his steps. On the way he passed Blocter, Emmy and now David all watching him from the doorway of the conference room. When he reached the archives he stepped over the papers he had left on the floor and made his way to the back of the room. Bookshelves filled with boxes lined the walls, and he quickly found a box dated for the spring of two years ago. Tossing the lid aside he began to dig through papers, making it halfway through the stack before one caught his attention. His eyes flew over it as his earlier smirk returned to his face._

_ A map was messily scribbled down, showing a few hallways and rooms. A few of the rooms had labels, such as "library" or "storage room." An arrow weaved through the hallways to a room at the end of one hall, and the label for this room made Torgal's eyes widen._

_ "Storage for Academy items."_

_ The map was signed at the bottom by one of the guards which had accompanied the Sykes when they returned to Elysion to work on dividing the academy's property._

_ He snorted through his nose and shook his head slightly. Pagus' memory and wisdom never failed to amaze Torgal, despite being four times his age._

"We've been very fortunate with where Elysion selected to establish their vault," Torgal said, unrolling an oversized roll of parchment on the conference table in front of David. David moved to his side to join him in inspecting the sheet, noticing that this particular map was of Elysion's keep.

"Getting in and out of the city will not be difficult, especially in the chaos of a collapse. The bigger concern was getting to the vault, but after looking at this it may not be too difficult. Here," Torgal said, reaching out to point at a room on the map. "This is the vault. This is on the second floor of Elysion's keep, down a corridor with only two other rooms in that same hallway. The vault has no windows, but the room across the hall does, and the window is directly above a rampart." As he said this, Torgal reached across the table and opened another map, which was of the lower floor of the keep.

"What's this other room used for?" David asked.

"Storage I believe. This area of the keep is opposite the area used for quarters and staff areas," Torgal replied without having to look at the map.

"That is quite lucky."

"Indeed. Even luckier is the fact that the rampart under the window is near an edge of the keep that borders the outer edge of the city. This means that we could get to the vault by climbing up to that rampart to below the window, through it and across the hall."

"How far above the rampart is this window?"

"Only the height of a single level, so around ten feet," Torgal replied after looking at the map and finding no precise height measurement.

"And how high is the rampart from the ground outside the city?" David asked, his eyes still flitting over the map in various places. He could quickly see the appeal of the route Torgal had chosen; not only was it the most direct path to the vault, but it seemed that they could keep out of sight almost the whole time.

A tense silence fell over the room, and David's eyes flew up to meet Torgal's. The sovani had not answered his question.

"How high is it?" David asked more firmly, straightening himself up to his full height. His stomach turned nervously as he realized he was not going to like the answer to the question.

"About seventy feet," Torgal said gravely. "It is an outer defense wall of the city."

David's jaw tightened. "We'll just have to scale it. Gather up the equipment we'll need to do it."

Torgal nodded before unfurling another map on the table, and they began to plan their travel to Elysion.

* * *

A knock at the door startled Lenne and caused the quill in her hand to twitch, ripping a small hole in the parchment on which she was writing. She swore under her breath, and turned to look at the door over her shoulder.

"It's David," she heard him call quietly from the other side. Lenne quickly turned back to the small desk at which she was seated and slid a book sideways to cover the parchment. She set the quill aside and got up from the desk. Breathing a deep sigh as she reached the door, she steeled her features and twisted the knob.

David stood just outside the door, leaning against the frame. She opened the door only a few inches, and - even upon seeing him – did not fully open the door.

"What is it?" she asked.

"May I come in? I wouldn't want anyone to see my talking to you." She looked at him, unresponsive for a moment, before finally stepping away from the door and leaving him to let himself in.

David entered the room and closed the door behind him before turning to watch Lenne. The day before Emmy had returned from town with a bottle of a light colored paste, which she had taken directly to Lenne's room along with a short knife. She had emerged half an hour later to see David and Torgal waiting at the door. They had peered inside as Emmy left, both unable to stop their curiosity, and saw that Lenne's long, dark hair had been lightened and cut to indeed look like the young general's.

_"Good work," David had commented awkwardly to Emmy._

_ "At least she didn't put up a fight. Must be important to her," she had replied quietly before continuing down the hall. _

Lenne moved to the window as David entered the room, and he followed her to it. As he gazed out the window pane with her, the thought crossed his mind that although the conditions were much better than the holding cells in the lower levels, this was still somewhat of a prison that she was being held in. She had not been able to leave the room for days, and although she had not complained, David could see the discontent on her face.

"What do you want?" she asked again.

"I just wanted to reconfirm our plans for Elysion," he said, fumbling with the words for a second. He, Torgal and Lenne had gone over their plan countless times already, and this was not the reason for his visit with her. The truth was that he had felt the uncomfortable need to come talk to her, even though he had nothing to discuss. Something in the back of his mind craved the simple interaction.

"We've been through this a hundred times," she sighed, clearly annoyed. "You and I will disguise ourselves and sneak into the city to retrieve my part of the artifact before meeting Torgal at nightfall along the outer edge of Elysion's keep. And if I try anything funny you'll kill me. Pretty simple and easy to remember," she snapped at him, laying heavy emphasis on the final three words.

Through her rant he had not taken his eyes off her. He found himself immune to her sarcasm and sharp tongue after the past few weeks, and had almost come to admire her for her audacity at times. His eyes took in her hair, now choppy and barely brushing her shoulders. A ghost of a smile crossed his face as he remembered Jager laughing aloud upon seeing Emmy's handiwork.

_ "Hell, should I dye my hair blonde to fit in too?" he exclaimed as he looked at Lenne, David and Emmy standing together one evening in Lenne's room. The three blondes had glanced at each other briefly before Lenne had stood up and marched to the bathroom, glaring at Jager the entire way before slamming the door behind her. Emmy, trying to suppress a smile, had reached out to punch her fiancé in the arm._

Lenne was still looking out the window, avoiding looking at David, and he took the opportunity to reach out slowly and take a lock of her hair in his fingers. He could see her body bristle upon sensing his touch.

"David-"

"Listen," he said, cutting her off. She turned sideways to look at him, giving him her full attention.

"What?" she asked, her tone lacking the sarcasm it had contained a moment before.

David reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, keeping her an arm's length away. As he searched for the words to convey what he had come to her room to tell her, a stark realization hit him. He in fact did not know what to say, because he simply did not know what he was feeling. Although he felt like he should say something, that there indeed _was _something to be said, he could not define it. This woman he had hunted for months had changed into something more meaningful than he had ever foreseen. He could no longer find it in himself to call her his enemy, yet a new label for her escaped him entirely.

She watched as he stood before her in silence, obviously at a loss for words. She could easily read his confusion, and somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered when she had developed this ability to read him.

"David," she started, her tone soft. "Don't confuse want with basic need. We're just two lonely people. We aren't looking for each other for anything more than this mission."

"How do you know?" he asked her. It was not a challenge to what she had said, it was a genuine desire to know the answer. He watched as she hesitated to answer him, her eyes conveying a depth of sadness that he had never seen before in her. Her face stirred within him a deep curiosity, a sudden desperation to understand what could make her so sad.

"How do you know?" he repeated quieter, and suddenly realized how badly he wanted an answer. His grip subconsciously tightened on her shoulders as he took a step closer to her, entering her personal space. She was suddenly overwhelmed by everything that was him; his smell of fresh air and clean linen, the warmth and weight of his hands on her shoulders, his breath slightly tickling her face.

She said nothing to him and looked up at him with sad eyes before reaching out to him. David's heart began to race in anticipation and excitement as her hand came up near his heart and curled itself around the fabric of his shirt. They stood frozen, David feeling as though she held his heart in hand for that brief moment. He was holding his breath without knowing it, waiting… craving for her to tug on his shirt and lead him somewhere he had never been before.

His features fell when he felt her hand release his shirt and push lightly against his chest. Rush's talisman, alongside a piece of the artifact, pressed into David's skin. Their eyes met, and David's excitement drained from him as quickly as it had arrived.

After exchanging a long, meaningful look with him, Lenne moved away slowly and returned to the desk she had been seated at earlier. She pulled open the book that sat there and found the page she was looking for quickly and began to read. She could feel David's eyes on her as she pretended that he was not standing only a few feet away. After an awkward silence he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Upon hearing him leave, Lenne looked up from the book she was pretending to read. She sat frozen for a long time, thinking, before finally snapping the book shut and moving it aside to reveal the parchment she had been working on earlier. Retrieving the quill, she wet the tip and continued to write.

* * *

Midmorning four days later, a messenger arrived in the audience chamber of Athlum. David looked up from his seat where he'd been reviewing building requests for the city, and instantly recognized the man's Elysian colors as the courier made his way forward. He took a deep breath, telling himself to stay calm and not to give away that he'd been waiting anxiously for what this man might tell him.

"Lord David Nassau," the man acknowledged, coming to a stop in front of him and bowing quickly. At his words Torgal, who had been in the small antechamber of the room, emerged.

"Welcome," David replied, keeping his voice even and calm.

"A collapse began in the middle of last night in Elysion. My Lord wished to inform you of it and that the proposed suspension of the treaty is to be observed. He is very confident that Elysion's troops can handle the situation, and he wishes Athlum to remain vigilant."

"Very well," replied David, nodding his head. The man bowed again and quickly exited the hall. Without another word David stood and he and Torgal left the room. They both began speaking as soon as they were out of earshot of the guards in the hall.

"If we leave now we'll arrive in Elysion tomorrow, in the middle of the night. As long as it doesn't take too long for Lenne to pick up her pieces, we can be on our way home the following morning," Torgal said quickly as they both headed for the quarters area of the castle. David's chamber held their supplies for the trip, and was located just down the hall Lenne and the generals' rooms. Torgal followed David into his room where he retrieved Emmy's uniform that had been modified for Lenne, then quickly moved down to corridor to her door.

"Time to go," were his only words as he shoved the clothes into her arms when she opened the door. She nodded and withdrew back into the room. Torgal then took a few long strides to Emmy's chambers and knocked on the door. He could hear quiet whispers of Emmy and Jager behind it. After a long pause she opened the door, wrapped in a robe over her pajamas. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and she was trying to rub sleep from her eyes. She had only gone to bed a few hours ago after being on night watch in the castle.

"What issit?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Time to hide," was all he said to her. Her eyes immediately sharpened as her brow furrowed, and understanding fell over her face.

"Okay," she replied, biting her bottom lip in apprehension. Torgal nodded briefly and turned to leave, but he suddenly felt her small hand on his arm, tugging him back. He turned back to Emmy, his face not betraying his question, and watched her step into the hall and close the door to her room behind her. She motioned for him to lower himself closer, and as he did so she raised herself up on her toes.

"Be safe, please," she whispered in his ear before placing a light kiss on the side of his face. He nodded again to her and straightened himself back up, not lingering close to her. She made no attempt to hide the hurt that flashed briefly across her face. Torgal turned back down the hall to continue on to find Blocter, leaving Emmy to lean against her door, sleep suddenly seeming impossibly far away.

David entered Blocter's quarters to find the yama and Torgal reviewing last minute instructions for during their absence. David carried with him two small packs, one full of food, clothes and medical supplies, the other with ropes and hooks which they would use to climb the rampart.

"I think we're ready," David said, handing the packs to Blocter. "We'll see you outside the gate."

Blocter looked back and forth between Torgal and David, nervousness evident on his face. "Okay. Now ya listen to me. Yer better take care of each other, ya hear?"

A sad smile crossed David's face as he reached forward to place his hand on Blocter's forearm. "We will, and we'll see you in a few days when we get back. Everything will be fine."

Blocter nodded quickly before looking at Torgal one last time. "I'll be waitin' for ya." David and Torgal followed Blocter out of his quarters, and the three immediately split off in different directions. Blocter shouldered the packs and headed out of the castle to where he was to meet them with their supplies outside the castle gates. Torgal turned towards Lenne's room to retrieve her, while David headed to Pagus' room.

Pagus had been relocated to his quarters a few days earlier, where the castle physician continued to help make him comfortable. David had kept Pagus informed of their plans for Elysion, and as always the qsiti had lent a guiding hand in the plans.

"Pagus?" David called as he knocked lightly on the door. He heard Pagus' reply for him to enter almost immediately, and David let himself in the room. As he approached his bedside, he noticed that Pagus did not raise himself up to speak with David as he normally did.

"How are you doing?" David asked, knowing the answer already.

"Just a little ache in my joints. Nothing to concern yourself about, happens when the weather changes."

David cast a quick look out of Pagus' open windows, only to see the same clear winter sky that had been present the last few days.

"There's no storm, Pagus," he replied, sitting softly on the edge of Pagus' bed.

"There's one on the way then. Nevermind that, what news is there my boy?"

"We're about to depart. A collapse began in Elysion last night."

Pagus' face grew serious and possibly greyer than it had already seemed. David opened his mouth to reassure Pagus like he had Blocter, but the qsiti cut him off.

"This is a necessary risk, I do not object to this plan. And I know with Torgal by your side, you can accomplish almost anything. Just remember there are things we do not understand yet." Pagus advised him.

"You have always guided me best. We should be back in a few days, and I'll come to see you immediately." David said, rising from the bed. He knew Torgal and Lenne would be waiting for him.

"Do be careful David, and remember to look to the past for answers. Always," Pagus said quietly, his words more a request than a statement. After sharing a long, knowing look with the general, David nodded and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Down the hall, Torgal was waiting outside Lenne's door.

As he approached Torgal the door opened from behind the sovani, and Lenne emerged cautiously. From the short distance he was away from her, David could now barely tell the difference between her and Emmy. With the exception that Lenne was shorter, the uniform along with her hair pulled forward to partially cover her face proved to be an excellent disguise.

"Let's go," Torgal said quietly, and they all turned down the hall together. They passed through the castle at a brisk walk, passing few guards on the way. The ones they did encounter saluted quickly, a few even acknowledging Lenne as "Lady Emmy." None of them spoke to the guards as they passed, heading for the side exit of the castle. As they walked outside, both David and Torgal cast sideways glances as Emma's tomb on the hill.

They weaved through the back streets of Athlum along the route that Blocter had mapped out, encountering few people and, according to plan, no soldiers. As they exited the city, Blocter was waiting for them with their packs, which Lenne and Torgal shouldered before they set off without another word. David lingered near Blocter a moment, looking back at Athlum.

"Take care of her," he said quietly to the yama.

"Of course," Blocter replied quietly, his voice shaking a bit. David cast him a nervous smile before turning back to Lenne and Torgal. They had walked a few yards before noticing that David was not following, and they had both turned to watch him. After glancing at the city one last time, David turned away from Athlum to join them.

The three traveled briskly toward Elysion. They had decided to leave the city in formal Athlum clothes, especially since Torgal was highly noticeable, being a sovani. As soon as they could no longer see the city they left the road and diverged into a wooded area, where they changed quickly into civilian clothes that had been in one of the packs. The clothes they had selected were dark in color to aid them in remaining undetected, and David and Lenne also pulled on dark travelling cloaks. With their Athlum clothes stuffed back into the pack, Lenne and David returned to the road together while Torgal followed a distance behind them. They did not feel it too unusual to see a sovani travelling alone; at least it was more likely than a sovani travelling with two mitras.

They travelled this way for hours, Lenne and David barely speaking the entire journey. Near the halfway point between Athlum and Elysion she spoke up, breaking into David's thoughts.

"I hope you plan on giving me a weapon of some sorts, since we're walking into a city that's sure to be swarming with beasts," she said dryly.

"We weren't planning on it," David responded, his tone serious and implying that the topic was not open for discussion.

"Great," she spat in annoyance.

"You know we'll keep you safe, we still need that trigger word."

"Right, who knows where I'd be if it weren't for that thorn in your side."

David ignored her comment, and they fell into silence again. They continued to walk for hours, each occasionally looking over their shoulder to see Torgal following them a few hundred feet back. As the sun set and the darkness fell over the them, Torgal gradually caught up with them.

"We should stop and make camp for the night. We'll sleep in shifts after we have some food; we need to keep out energy up," the sovani said quietly to David from behind him. David nodded briefly and turned away from the road, towards a wooded area not far off.

After moving into the woods for half an hour, David and Torgal finally selected a campsite as Lenne followed along in silence. Torgal set to starting a fire while Lenne and David began sorting the food that they had brought with them. They divided the small supply of dried meat, apples, cheese and bread between the three of them and sat down around the fire to eat. They ate in an uncomfortable silence, the only sounds around them were the crackle of the fire and noise of the woods surrounding them.

"I'll take first watch ," David said finally, brushing bread crumbs from his hands. "I'm not tired at all yet," he added when he saw Torgal's ears rotate forward, a signal that a protest was about to be voiced. The sovani's eyes darted around the camp for a second before he nodded, stood and moved towards a tree further away from the fire. He sat at the base of it and leaned his back against the trunk. As he moved David glanced at Lenne, who had moved closer to the fire and was using one of their packs as a makeshift pillow. She pulled her cloak tightly around her, trying to shield herself from the cold ground.

"Will you be warm enough?" David asked her.

"Yeah, I'll manage. Damn sovanis," she said, casting a contemptuous look at Torgal. David smiled to himself before standing up and wondering into the trees around their camp. He circled it for the next few hours, never moving far enough to where he could not see the shapes of Lenne and Torgal.

When David finally returned to the fire in the middle of the night, he found Torgal awake and waiting for him.

"This place seems strangely familiar," David commented as he stood near the fire, holding his hands outward towards it to warm them.

"Of course it does," Torgal replied, and David looked back to the sovani as he rose up to stand next to him. "When you were young, Emma used to bring you and Emmy here."

The odd feeling of déjà vu that had accompanied David on his patrol through the trees suddenly reconciled itself in his mind. Those childhood trips which had been buried and forgotten swam to life in his mind, and he could remember chasing Emmy through the trees.

"We were so young then," David said quietly, his eyes staring unfocused at the fire

"Only five or six I believe," added Torgal.

"And Emma-" David started, but his voiced died in his throat. Although it had been a few years since her death, an overwhelming feeling of loss still followed David

"You should get some sleep. You'll need your energy tomorrow," Torgal told him while checking the swords on his back as he prepared to take watch until the morning. David nodded and looked towards Lenne, who was sleeping with her back towards them and the fire. He laid down with his head near hers, and although his mind was racing, was asleep in moments.

They departed as soon as the sun was beginning to rise the following morning. Torgal lagged at a further distance than the previous day behind them as they walked. Unlike the day before, Lenne and David easily made conversation as they walked, although they never discussed anything personal. David felt the need to apologize for what had happened between them in her room, and tried to feel for the right moment to bring it up. But as midday passed and the sun began its descent downwards in the sky, he never got the chance.

As they neared the Elysian border in the early evening, David raised his eyes in the direction of the city and noticed large storm clouds beginning to gather ahead of them.

_Pagus was right,_ he thought. _Amazing he could feel it this far away._

"If it rains it's going to make climbing that wall even worse," Lenne said suddenly. She had evidently noticed the clouds in the distance as well. David hummed in agreement, and nothing more was said about it.

As the night wore on and they moved further into Elysion territory, David could sense Torgal move closer to them on the road, following only twenty yards or so behind them now.

"Not much further now, only over this hill," he said to Lenne, his stomach beginning to turn anxiously. They both subconsciously quickened their pace, their boots digging into the grassy side of the hill. David, whose legs were longer than Lenne's, reached the top slightly before her, and looked down at Elysion.

"God Emperor…" he exhaled in shock. Lenne was just close enough to hear him, and her eyes flew up to follow his gaze. Her jaw fell slack at the scene that lay before them.

From the hill where they stood, they could look down at Elysion over its walls. Multiple areas scattered across the city were ablaze, and the fires illuminated a layer of smoke that hung over the city.

"Is that dust too?" Lenne asked, squinting in an attempt to try to see more clearly through the haze.

"It is," Torgal said, coming from behind to join them on the hill. "They must be having frequent earthquakes as well to stir up that much dust."

They all stood for a moment, transfixed by the city in chaos before them.

"Go as quickly as possible. No stops or unnecessary risks," Torgal told them. David suddenly realized that this was the point where he and Lenne were to separate from Torgal. They had agreed it too risky and suspicious for the sovani to enter the city to retrieve Lenne's pieces of the artifact, so they were to meet him outside the city, at the bottom of the rampart they were to climb.

"C'mon," Lenne said, pulling her hood up over her head. "We'd better go before it gets worse." David nodded and turned to Torgal, handing him the pack that contained their climbing rope. Lenne took off the pack she was carrying with their clothes and food and tossed it under a bush just off the road. She began to step towards the city when Torgal called out to her.

"Wait," he said, reaching within his shirt to pull out an item. He handed her a dagger in its sheath, and her eyes widened as she took it.

"My dagger…I thought I'd lost it," she said, her voice softening.

"It was confiscated the first time you were taken into custody. I know we agreed on no weapons, but this collapse looks worse than expected," Torgal said, the explanation more meant for David than Lenne.

"It's probably a good idea," David said. "It does look pretty bad down there."

"Alright, you know where to meet me. Get going," Torgal said quickly before leaving the road in the direction of the rampart. Lenne and David continued on the road, their pace the quickest yet as they approached the city gates.

As they got closer, the sounds of the chaos within Elysion began to reach their ears. Soldiers yelling orders, beasts roaring and the occasional screaming of civilians drifted past them as they got closer. When they were only a few dozen yards from the entrance, David felt Lenne reach out and grab his arm, pulling him abruptly to a stop.

"What the hell is that?" she said, leaning closer to him to whisper harshly in his ear. In the dim light cast by the fires of the city, he could see her pointing off the side of the road. As his gaze followed her finger, he saw immediately what she was referring to. A deep fissure had formed in the ground a ways off from the road, and thick smoke was rising from within. It looked to be a few hundred feet long, and stretched like an ugly scar against the grassy landscape.

"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head in disbelief. Over their heads thunder suddenly cracked loudly, and he felt Lenne's grip on his arm tighten.

"Let's go…fast!" David said, looking up at the ominous sky above them. Lenne took off at a run immediately, her hand slipping down David's arm to hold onto his hand as she guided him through the streets. David followed her closely, but could not help himself from looking at the destruction surrounding them. They were constantly passed by citizens that were fleeing through the streets, opposite the way they were heading, and they had to leap over the bodies of slain beasts. Once, as Lenne stepped over an obstacle without looking, David's eyes fell downward to see where to step. He saw on the ground the body of a soldier, his face splattered with blood and barely recognizable. David's steps faltered and Lenne turned back to him, her hood flying off of her head as she reached for him.

"Come on, it's not far," she yelled to him over the noise, pulling him by the hand. He looked at her and noticed she was gripping her dagger tightly in her other hand. His hand flew to his sword and they began running again.

A moment later Lenne rounded a corner and instantly dropped David's hand. He saw her skid to a stop in the dirt and he stopped next to her, bumping into her slightly. He followed her eyes and saw her staring at a building that was completely ablaze. Citizens were scurrying around it frantically, throwing buckets of water at it as soldiers defended them from the beasts that roamed the streets.

"Is that your building?" David asked breathlessly.

"No," she replied, coughing as she tried to catch her breath through the dust and smoke. "The one next to it."

David's eyes darted to look at the building next to it. It looked intact, but the fire from the adjacent building was beginning to lick at the roof of it.

"Which floor?" he yelled out to her, the noise around them escalating with every second that past.

"The bottom," she shouted, and at the same time they both took off at a run, drawing their weapons as they went. They wove among soldiers and beasts towards the building. When they had almost reached the door, David saw a basilisk leap from the roof of the building towards Lenne. He screamed her name, and watched as she fell to her knees, ducking just in time for the monster to land behind her. She was already spinning on her knees to face it as David swung his sword downward onto the creature's neck, the blade sinking into its flesh. The creature hissed in pain as Lenne's dagger also found its mark in his side before becoming silent and still.

David and Lenne looked at each other, both panting heavily, before removing their weapons and continuing inside the house.

"They're in here," she said, entering a small sitting room in the house. Books were scattered everywhere, and a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the tables and chairs.

"This was your home?" David asked, casting a brief look around the area.

"Yes," she replied, barely paying attention to him. Lenne bent over, grabbing a corner of a rug that covered the center of the room, and pulled it back. She knocked over a side table as she did so, but ignored the crash of a bowl shattering on the floor. David knelt next to her as she stuck her dagger between two of the floorboards and pried one upwards. It came out easily, and David could see that the nails originally used to keep it in place were no longer present. Beneath it a small hole had been dug into the ground, and Lenne reached into the floor as deep as her elbow. When she withdrew her arm, two half circles with half of an orb magically suspended in the middle appeared.

David could not keep a small smile from spreading across his lips. They were so close now that he was suddenly anxious to get back to Torgal and retrieve the last piece.

"Now, you're sure it only split into these four pieces? You're completely sure?" David asked, excitement growing in his voice.

"I'm sure. Look at your piece, it's a perfect half circle," she said, motioning her head towards David's chest. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the piece, still tied to Rush's talisman.

"Before it was broken up it was the orb and two surrounding circles. It was so unnatural for it to split into these perfect pieces, I think it was some sort of magic that broke it apart, not the force that it was hit with. It's meant to be put back together," she said, something wild flashing in her eyes. She took the chain attached to the half which she had just removed from the floor, and looped the chain tightly around her wrist.

"How do they go back together?" David asked, leaning forward towards Lenne. He felt an odd tugging around his neck and looked down; the piece around his neck was pulling away from him, towards Lenne. The piece wound around her wrist was lifting itself upwards towards his, the attraction between the pieces overcoming gravity to try to be reunited.

"Not yet," she said, reaching with her other hand to push him back. He quickly grabbed his chain and tucked it back into his shirt for safe keeping.

"Right," he said, slightly disappointed. "We need to get back to Torgal."

"And get the hell out of here."

They stood and left the house, both subconsciously reaching out for the other's hand as they entered the street and the chaos once more.

* * *

Author's Note:

Thank you as always to Sorceress Nadira for being my wonderful beta!

Although the wait for this chapter has been long, it's not without reason. When I completed Chapter 10 it came in a just under 17,000 words, so I decided to split it into two parts to make reading easier. The other part will be up in probably 3-4 days. Thank you for reading everyone!


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Why helllooo Runa! I was very excited to see a lurker come out of the woodwork! Thank you so much for your review, I'm totally flattered! Thank you Sorceress for helping me tackle this beast! To all my readers - Thanks for sticking with me for so long!

The songs that helped write this: "The Battle" (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) by Harry Gregson-Williams and "528491" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer

* * *

Sacrifice

Chapter XI

* * *

Emmy turned over in bed and looked at Jager sleeping next to her. She was envious of him; since David, Lenne and Torgal's departure she had not been able to sleep. She could not quiet her mind as she worried about her comrades, and she wished more than anything she could be there with them. She had gone to bed, her body exhausted, only to lay there for hours, staring at the ceiling. She knew she would not sleep until they returned.

A noise outside her door redirected her attention. She could hear the familiar, heavy footsteps of Blocter in the hallway. He seemed to stop at her door for a moment, and she listened as she heard him sigh and turn back the way he had come. She was out of bed in an instant, padded barefoot to the door and pulled it open, not caring if she made enough noise to disturb her fiancé's sleep.

She poked her head into the hallway and saw Blocter turn back towards her at the sound of the door opening.

"I'm sorry Emmy, I didn't mean to disturb ya," he said quietly.

"I couldn't sleep, what is it? Any news of them?" she asked, her chest feeling tight with panic.

"No, nothin' yet. But this just arrived," he said, holding up an envelope. "It doesn't say who it's from. Should we open it?"

Emmy stepped into the hallway and took the envelope from his hand and ripped it open. Inside she found a letter two pages long in small, curvy handwriting. As Emmy's eyes flew over the words, her face fell in sadness and remorse. But as she neared the end of the letter, realization dawned over her face.

"Oh no," she whispered to herself as her eyes finally reached the bottom of the last page. The signature there was unmistakable; Marina Sykes.

* * *

By the time David and Lenne rejoined Torgal at the base of the rampart, David suspected they had only a few hours until the sun would begin to rise. Their departure from the city had not been slowed by monsters or fires, but instead they had been caught up in the large crowds of people fleeing the city.

"What took so long?" Torgal asked, both in suspicion and relief.

"We got caught in the crowd that's evacuating. We had to walk with them a while down the road until it got dark and could double back. We didn't want to risk being seen moving along the wall of the city," David told him, bending over to reach into the pack that rested at the base of the wall. He pulled out two pairs of leather gloves and handed one to Lenne.

"How's your upper arm strength?" he asked her as he pulled his gloves on.

"Pitiful," she replied, looking upwards apprehensively at the rampart wall. While they had been in the city, Torgal had somehow attached a climbing rope at the top of the wall. "How exactly did you get that up there?"

"Sovani are agile," was all Torgal said in response to her. "David, you first."

David shed his travelling cloak and grabbed the rope, pulling himself up easily. He placed his feet against the wall and began to climb.

"I'm not sure I can do this," Lenne stated, a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

"That's why I'll be behind you. Go on," Torgal said, his tone stern and not very comforting.

They climbed quickly, David having little trouble as he made his ascent. Lenne was not so fortunate, needing to stop multiple times to briefly lean back against Torgal to give her arms a short rest. Torgal was so preoccupied with watching her struggle that he did not notice David stop at the top of the wall. As Torgal and Lenne neared him at the top, they both looked up and saw him lingering there.

"What the hell are you stopped for?" Lenne cried out, her arms shaking.

"We've got company up here," David called back to them, drawing his sword in one hand.

"Just move quickly," Torgal called up to him, and David turned back to lift himself over the edge of the wall. Lenne heard Torgal grunt in effort and suddenly felt the strain in her arms being relieved. Torgal had begun to climb quickly, grabbing her around the waist with his lower arms and pulling them both up with his other two. She continued to hold onto the rope as they went even though it was unnecessary, and they quickly reached the top. As they crested the ledge she saw David's sword flash as it came down upon one of many beasts that were swarming the landing. He cast a quick glance around and then rushed to help Lenne over the edge, Torgal right on her heels. All three drew their weapons as they looked around. They could see at least ten monsters running around the rampart, and a few had noticed the three of them arrive.

"This way," Torgal called, and together the three of them cleared a path towards the area under the window that they needed to enter. After quickly slaying a few beasts, they looked around and saw that for the moment, they seemed safe.

"Hurry," Torgal barked at them, bending over to offer Lenne a foothold in his hands. She put her foot into it and placed her hands on his shoulders. He lifted her easily towards the window, his height helping her close the distance easily.

"Watch out!" she called down to them as she took her dagger from her belt and smashed the butt of it through the glass. It shattered easily and she quickly knocked away the remaining pieces in the bottom of the frame before heaving herself upwards. She tumbled ungracefully into the dark room, swearing as she landed on the shards of glass that pricked at her hands and knees. She quickly got up and turned back to the window, reaching through to help David up. She tugged him into the room and onto the floor before returning to the window, looking back down at Torgal.

"Go, I'll hold out here!" he called up to them, reaching behind him to withdraw two swords from their sheaths. She nodded and turned back to David, and together they crossed the small room to the door.

They pulled the door open quickly and both leaned out, checking to see if the coast was clear. They were alone.

They crossed the small hallway quickly to the door of the room where Elysion had kept its Academy items. The door was made of heavy wood, and Lenne reached out to try to turn the knob. To neither of their surprise, it was locked.

"Stand back," David told her, and she pressed herself against the opposite wall as David laid his hand on the door.

"Spark," he whispered, and the spell easily blasted a small hole through the door. Reaching through the splintered wood, David quickly opened the door from within, and he and Lenne stepped inside.

"You know what it looks like, hurry," she told him, and they moved to different corners of the room, searching for the last piece of the artifact. As the minutes stretched on, David's heartbeat began to thunder in his ears while they looked. In the cold, dim room, they could still hear the faint sounds of battle just outside, and they both worked frantically. After what felt like an hour, but was really only minutes, he heard Lenne call from the other side of the room.

"Got it!"

As David turned to find her, he heard a loud metal clang, and saw gold sparks briefly through the gaps of the shelves in the middle of the room. He rounded the corner and saw her circling another chain onto her wrist while moving towards the door.

"Let's get out of here," she said, and he was at her heels as they ran across the hall and back to the window. They saw Torgal still below them, fighting two monsters at once. David went out the window first, lowering himself as far down as he could from the window sill before letting go. He landed on his feet, swaying to keep his balance, before looking back up to Lenne. He saw her hanging onto the window sill with one hand while fumbling with something in the other.

"What are you doing?" he called up to her, when suddenly something caught his attention in his peripheral vision. He turned to look and saw a Jhana lunging at him, its sword hoisted over its head. David took a few hurried steps backward, reaching for his sword, but he knew he couldn't reach it in time. As the beast barreled down upon him, he saw a brief glint of metal in the air, and the Jhana collapsed at his feet. Staring down at it, he saw Lenne's dagger protruding from the back of its neck.

He glanced up at her, trying to catch his breath, and saw her finally let go of the window ledge and fall to the ground. She landed hard and fell forward onto her knees and hands, swearing loudly. David bent forward and pulled the dagger out of the Jhana's neck as Torgal came to his side.

"Did you find it?" he asked, looking David over for injuries before moving to help Lenne stand.

"Yeah," Lenne called, holding up her wrist from which her part of the artifact dangled.

"Come," Torgal said, pushing the both of them towards the rampart edge where their climbing rope was still tied. Torgal began to descend immediately, and as David helped Lenne over the edge he felt his heart begin to race in optimism. As he lowered himself over the ledge, he had no idea that this was the last moment where things would go according to plan.

As soon as he had fastened his grip on the rope, David heard Lenne call up to him.

"David, this storm isn't moving," she said, holding onto the rope and looking upwards.

"Why's that bother you?" He called back down to her.

"It's not natural-" she started to reply, but she was cut off by Torgal directly below her shushing her quiet. She looked down at him and saw his ears were raised in attention as his eyes darted around them frantically.

"Get down! Fast!" the sovani suddenly yelled up at them. As soon as the words left his mouth a deafening rumble filled the air, and suddenly the entire world around them began to shake violently. Lenne screamed as she tightened her grip on the rope, feeling the wall vibrate harshly beneath her feet.

"Go go go!" David called frantically as he began to lower himself too quickly down the rope.

"Be careful! DAVID!" Torgal roared from beneath her, and Lenne's eyes flew upwards. David had lost his footing against the wall and swung out sideways, his hands still gripping the rope tightly. Lenne felt herself being tugged sideways as the rope followed David's motion, and she watched horrified as his shoulder crashed hard into the wall. As soon as he collided with the stone he lost his grip, and she saw him begin to fall, out of reach of the rope and any chance of stopping himself, towards the ground over sixty feet below them.

Without thinking, Lenne pushed herself off the wall and let go of the rope, reaching out to David. She heard Torgal roar in rage and felt his hand brush her boot, but he was unable to grab her. She grabbed onto David's shirt with the hand around which her part of the artifact was strung, and let that mysterious, otherworldly force take care of the rest. A loud clang of metal against metal rang out, and Lenne closed her eyes.

She instantly felt them decelerate, and the ground that had been rushing up at them faded away.

"Hold onto me!" she screamed towards David, pulling his shirt towards her with her eyes still closed. She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders as the compressing darkness that had been so familiar to her surrounded them.

They landed hard on sand, knocking the wind out of their chests. They both rolled over onto their sides, away from each other, the artifact resting on the sand between them. As they pushed themselves weakly to their knees, David began to retch onto the sand in front of him, followed only seconds later by Lenne doing the same.

After their nausea subsided, David wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked over at Lenne. He had realized immediately upon her grabbing his shirt what was happening; to save his life, she'd risked her own and brought him to the remnant graveyard. Looking down at his shirt, he noticed that his part of the artifact had torn holes through both layers of his clothing to unite with its twin. The chain on which it had hung had broken and been torn from his neck. Reaching up, he felt a thin wound where the chain had dug into his skin before snapping.

Thunder cracked above them, and it seemed much closer than any thunder he'd ever heard at home. He watched Lenne as she wiped her mouth before she reached out and snatched the artifact from sand between them. Her arms were shaking from holding herself up, and she rolled onto her back, clutching the artifact to her chest as she began to chuckle quietly. She glanced at David, who stared at her bewildered.

"It worked," she said, a huge grin on her face. "It transported two."

"Are you completely crazy?" he blurted out, his normal composure gone. His eyes were darting around them, but through dust being blown around in the wind, could barely see past the area where they laid.

"You're bloody welcome," she snapped back at him, shaking her head as she raised herself into a sitting position. David looked back at the area in front of him where he'd just been sick, and moved away from it to her side. They sat in silence a moment, gathering their strength as they looked around the desolate area.

"Was it always so awful? Travelling like that?" He asked her as his breathing returned to normal.

"No, but I've never done it while falling off a building before," she replied, looking sideways at him with an incredulous look.

He couldn't help but release a shocked laugh. They stared at each other another moment before David took a deep breath. "Thank you."

"C'mon," she said, slowly pulling herself to her feet. "Let me show you something amazing."

He stood quickly and moved to her side. "What about Torgal? We need to get back."

She shook her head at him. "Time flows differently here, remember? Barely a few seconds have passed down there. He'll be alright, and we might as well try to wait out the earthquake before we go crashing back there."

"No," David said, refusing to follow her as she had started to walk. She turned back to him, clearly annoyed.

"We can't go back from here anyway, we have to get to the transport platform," she snapped at him, placing her hands on her hips. David's stern expression fell from his face as he looked at her, and finally he moved forward to follow her.

"Oh," was all he said, and they began to walk. He looked around as she led him through the graveyard. The dust in the air was strange; although it looked like dust, it was almost as fine as powder, and at times looked like smoke. He was at a loss to see how she could possibly know where she was going.

"How can you tell where we are?" he asked finally, shielding his eyes. She came to a stop next to him and took a hold of his elbow.

"Watch over there," she said, pointing in the direction where they were heading. "Wait for the wind to die down."

They stood completely still, staring into the distance for a few long minutes. David was about to say that he saw nothing when suddenly the wind died for a second. As the dust temporarily settled, he saw the outline of a shape on the horizon; the Valeria Heart.

His breath hitched in his throat when he saw it. His stomach began to summersault as Athlum's lost remnant appeared for a second before vanishing again.

"See it?" she asked him, although she already knew by his reaction that he had. He only nodded silently as she continued speaking. "It was never this windy before. I don't know what this could mean though." With that she continued walking, and David moved to her side quickly.

"You lied," he said, anger suddenly seeping into his voice.

"About what?" she asked, not looking at him.

"About the trigger word. I'm pretty sure I didn't hear you say anything as we were falling."

She arched her eyebrows and cast him a sideways glance. "Had to make you keep me around somehow."

David snorted through his nose in disapproval, but said nothing else. His anger at Lenne died quickly as it was replaced with astonishment. They continued to walk through the strange land, David constantly looking around and hoping the dust would clear. He vaguely saw outlines of remnants as they moved, and his heart skipped a beat every time he saw one.

The dust was creating such a thick cloud around them that when they came upon a remnant only feet from them, it was almost as if it had appeared from nothing. They both looked up at it, and David noted that it was not a remnant that he recognized.

"Don't touch it," she warned him.

"Was this one already here before?" he asked, but did not receive an answer from Lenne. A look of worry had crossed her face, and her eyes were darting around the horizon. "Lenne?" he asked, seeing that she was distracted.

"This isn't right," she said, ignoring his question.

"What isn't?"

"This one shouldn't be here. It's moved."

"What do you mean it's moved?" he asked, his voice rising nervously.

"This one used to be really far off, so far that I never got to make the walk all the way to it…they all seem closer…" her voice died in her throat, and David could see her mind racing.

"What does that mean?" he asked frantically.

"I'm not sure. But I think it's safe to assume they didn't fade away like Rush said."

David suddenly felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Throughout this entire crazy plan and the shock of arriving in the graveyard, he hadn't remembered that Rush was here. His heart instantly began to race.

"Rush! RUSH!" he began to yell as loud as he could. A sense of déjà vu washed over him; he had dreamed this before.

"Shut up!" Lenne shrieked at him, reaching out to clamp her hand over his mouth. "We have to be careful, and if we're going to look for him we have to do it quietly."

"Why?" David burst out, ripping her hand away from his mouth. "How will we ever find him in this storm if we don't call out to him?"

"He's here too. The Conqueror," she said gravely, her eyes boring into his and pleading with him.

"Are you serious?" David exclaimed, trying to keep his tone down. David reached up and rubbed his face with his hands, feeling suddenly exhausted. "Do you think they're even alive?"

"I don't know," Lenne replied, and she reached out for David's arm and began to pull him with her.

As they walked, Lenne told David about what had happened the last time she had been to the remnant graveyard; how she had met Rush, had intended to bring him back, and how he had saved her when the Conqueror had attacked them.

"Is that why you've been trying so hard to get back here? To save him?" David asked.

"Sort of," she replied, but refused to elaborate further. "I think we're close to the platform," she said, unsure of herself since her landmarks, the remnants, had shifted in her absence. They walked a little further, when Lenne suddenly reached out and stopped David.

He turned to look at her, and she had a finger pressed to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. He strained to listen over the wind, and he instantly heard what had her so concerned; footsteps in the sand.

Lenne reached for her dagger at the same time David withdrew his sword, both moving as quietly as possible. They moved closer to one another, glancing around them, before both turned to face the same direction. The footsteps were close enough to distinguish the direction from which they were coming from.

"He doesn't have the powers he had before. He's mortal or close to it," Lenne whispered quietly, remembering the Conqueror's hand, covered in blood that was either his or Rush's, pressed against the barrier as she had fled two years ago. It seemed like she was reassuring herself just as much as David.

They stood perfectly still, poised to attack, when David began to see the outline of a figure through the dust. A man was approaching them, taller and of a bigger build than Rush. David tightened his hands around his sword's hilt as he raised it to attack. The man continued to approach slowly, and David could see him slowly draw a sword from his belt.

David moved first, lunging forward to close the distance and hopefully launch a preemptive attack.

"No!" Lenne screamed at him as realization suddenly dawned on her. As David brought his sword down in an attack on the man, he heard steel clang against steel. His sword had been stopped by another, and David looked into the man's face as they stood with their swords locked together. He was slightly taller than David, with mangled clothes and thick facial hair obscuring most of his features, but as David's eyes met his, he quickly lowered his sword.

"Dave!" the man exclaimed, dropping his sword into the sand.

"Rush?" he asked, bewildered. "Is that you?"

The two men stood gaping at each other. David stood in shock as he took in the sight of his old friend, who now looked much older than the twenty-one years he should be.

"It is you," David blurted out, and he could not stop the suddenly moisture that gathered in his eyes. He dropped his sword into the sand as well as he embraced Rush, gripping his friend's jacket tightly. He bit his lip as he realized it was the same jacket he had given Rush in Athlum, albeit stretched, torn and faded. Glancing a look down, the sword Rush had dropped into the sand was the same one he had used the last time they had faced the Conqueror.

"I can't believe it," Rush sighed, and he slowly raised his eyes to see Lenne standing behind David, watching them. Her face had a smile on it as tears ran slowly down her cheeks.

"Lenne!" Rush exclaimed, reaching an arm out and pulling her into the hug as well.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Lenne mumbled into his chest as Rush crushed her and David against him. Relief flooded through her and made her feel lightheaded as they all stood holding onto each other.

"I'm so sorry it took so long," Lenne said, sobbing quietly as she pulled herself away from him. "How long has it been for you?" she asked, wiping her nose on her sleeve like a small child.

"You tell me, like fifteen years I'm guessing at this point?" he said, turning to face her while still keeping his arm over David's shoulders. As soon as he said it though, shock covered his face as his eyes darted between Lenne and David.

"What the hell?" he said, finally realizing that his two friends had not aged the same as he.

"It's only been two years down there, but time is different here. It's been a lot longer for you. I never got to tell you with what happened last time."

Rush's mouth fell open slightly. "I feel sick," he said, suddenly sitting down.

"It doesn't matter, let's just get out of here. Let's go home," David said, kneeling next to Rush in the sand and reaching out to grasp his shoulder. To David's shock though, Rush shook his head.

"I can't," he said quietly, all the happiness suddenly gone from his voice. He looked up at Lenne, his eyes full of regret. "Lenne, you still got that thing you had last time?"

"Of course," she said, her voice full of apprehension. "Why?"

"I'm gonna need to borrow it," Rush said darkly, lifting himself back to his feet and picking up his sword. A knowing look passing between he and Lenne.

"No," she started to protest, shaking her head. "You deserve to go home."

"I deserve to finish what I started. Listen, I don't know what's been going on down there but up here it hasn't been good. The remnants didn't fade away like we thought they would. They've been gathering strength all these years here in order to invade the planet."

"Invade?" David asked, his eyes widening.

"And the Conqueror is helping orchestrate this whole thing," Rush added, never taking his eyes off Lenne's. "We gotta use that machine. You guys came just in time, they're preparing to launch an attack real soon."

"Well what do we do?" David asked, panic rising in his throat. He could tell that Rush and Lenne had an understanding of something that he did not.

"_We _won't be doing anything. I'm going to send you two back to the planet and then take care of this," Rush told them as he climbed to his feet.

"No!" Lenne exclaimed. "There has to be some other way. We don't know if there's time to get from the machine to the platform after it's been started."

"I think there will be enough time, and I'm not willing to risk either of your lives."

"And we're not willing to risk yours!" David exclaimed.

"It's too risky!" Lenne protested, taking a step closer to him.

"Listen to me," Rush said, holding up his hand to stop her. "I'm grateful that you came back, and that I got to see you one more time," he said, his eyes moving to David's. "But this has to be done. The world won't survive this attack; the remnants are going to enslave everyone just like they were meant to the first time, like I was meant to help them do. Just like last time, I can't let this happen."

David felt like his heart had stopped beating. He was going to lose Rush again, only minutes after finding him. A pain was swelling in his chest making it hard to breathe.

"Please Lenne. I have to do this," Rush said, holding his hand out to her. She stared at him for a long time, tears running down her cheeks, before slowly reaching out and placing the artifact in his hand. With that simple motion, David felt like she had not only sealed Rush's fate, but his own as well. Rush looked down at the artifact, which was still tied to the talisman his mother had given him. Tears slightly pricked his eyes at the sight, but he quickly blinked them away.

"No," David said to Rush, but the word came out weak and shaky. Rush's eyes turned back to David, and the sadness in them brought tears to David's eyes. "No, Rush."

"Oh Dave," Rush sighed, putting his arm over David's shoulders as he began to lead them to the platform. Lenne followed a distance behind, suddenly feeling like she was invading a private moment. She picked up David's forgotten sword from the sand as they passed it.

"Listen, I'll be right behind you guys, okay?" Rush's voice drifted back to Lenne on the wind, causing a knot to grow in her throat that she couldn't swallow. She could hear Rush's voice beginning to shake. She was hoping that he was telling the truth.

They walked through the desert, Rush leading them towards the platform. Lenne stared at the ground as she walked, no longer wanting to look around. This place where she had spent so much time, which had fascinated her to no end, suddenly seemed cold and cruel. She dragged David's sword through the sand behind her, not caring if it left a scar across the land. She was overwhelmed with a sudden, familiar hatred of the remnants that had been buried for years. She wished she could take David's sword and destroy them all.

"Come on, we should hurry," Rush said quietly, quickening his pace. David let himself be dragged along, unable to think about anything except what was about to happen. He was going to say goodbye again, and somehow this time hurt worse than the first one.

Lenne's heart sank as she saw they were close to the platform. She watched as Rush led David onto the platform and pulled him into another embrace. Her heart sank in sadness and she took a few steps backwards away from them, wanting to give them some privacy. She also couldn't stand to watch them say goodbye. The wind kicked up again and the two men faded from view, temporarily blocked by the dust.

"Lenne?" she heard Rush call out over the wind.

"I'm here," she answered. She looked down and realized she had been fidgeting with David's sword in the sand, and a small hole had started to form.

"It's time to go," Rush replied, and Lenne moved to take a step forward.

"Shh," Lenne heard suddenly in her ear. Before she could turn she felt cool metal pressed against her throat. "Not a sound, foolish girl."

Lenne stood frozen, knowing immediately what was happening, as she felt David's sword slowly pulled out of her hand. Panic flooded through her and she suddenly tasted bile in the back of her throat. _God Emperor please, not again..._ her mind screamed.

"Lenne?" Rush's voice called through the wind.

She felt a strong hand grip her arm and begin to pull her backwards roughly, away from Rush's voice. She felt the metal at her neck being pressed down on, and her skin stung as the sword drew blood. Her eyes were wide with panic as she looked in the direction of the platform; she could no longer see Rush nor David through the dust.

"Give it to me," he breathed in her ear, his voice deep and raw.

"Lenne!" she heard David begin to call to her as well, his voice sounding further away that Rush's now.

"No," she hissed, trying to steady her voice and be strong, but the effort was useless. She began to struggle against his grasp to try to distract him; she knew as soon as he realized she didn't have the artifact, she was as good as dead.

The Conqueror chuckled quietly in her ear. "I can't believe you were foolish enough to bring it back to me. Even without it, we would have been able to return to the planet. But now, you've brought a much easier way. A way that will let us all return to the planet at full strength."

"Why? To enslave everyone?" she asked. She tried to keep him talking, not only to stall him from killing her, but in a vain hope that her friends could hear him.

"Enslave? Don't make it sound so cruel. We're only returning to our rightful place; complete dominance."

Over the insane ramblings of the Conqueror, Lenne had heard a shift in the sand nearby. She began to openly cry, sniffling and sobbing as loud as she could. _Hurry, _she pleaded silently with David and Rush in her mind.

After what felt like eternity, her prayers were answered.

There were suddenly heavy footsteps behind the Conqueror, and she felt the cold metal leave her neck. He shoved her forward onto her knees, and she heard metal strike metal behind her. She clawed her way through the sand, trying to put some distance between her and the Conqueror, before standing and withdrawing her dagger. She spun around on her heels, and saw Rush and the Conqueror squaring off against each other. The Conqueror too had aged, but Lenne could see beneath his shabby clothes that he was still as large and as menacing as before.

"C'mon old man, it's three against one. Shouldn't fight battles you can't win," Rush taunted him. As Lenne approached them David appeared at her side from the dust.

"Where's my sword?" he breathed in her ear.

"I don't know, he took it from me," she replied, and both their eyes flew to the Conqueror's hands. He was not wielding David's sword, but again had called the Valeria Heart to fight at his side. A vicious anger began to burn in David's chest at the sight.

"Conqueror!" David yelled out to him. The man did not turn to face him, but kept his eyes on Rush while speaking.

"Marquis," the man growled at him. "I'm pleased to see you here. I shall enjoy watching your death most of all."

At the Conqueror's words, Rush charged forward at him, an angry scream escaping him as he lifted his sword into the air. Lenne ran forward from David's side at the same, clutching her dagger tightly in one hand. Before she could reach him, Rush's attack was deflected and Rush staggered sideways, losing his balance. The Conqueror then spun around to face Lenne, and he easily knocked her weapon from her hand. Lenne didn't have time to react before she felt his fist collide with her nose, and tears instantly ran down her face from the pain. Reaching up as she staggered backwards, she felt a trickle of blood begin to run from her nose.

"Lenne!" Rush screamed, and she forced her eyes open. As Rush ran forward to attack the Conqueror again, through a blur of tears, Lenne saw David move towards him from behind her. She blinked furiously as she heard another loud clash of metal. Rush and the Conqueror had locked their swords together, both fighting for the upper hand in the battle, and Lenne suddenly saw a slight glimmer in the air. David had found his sword.

Thunder cracked loudly above them, hiding David's footsteps, as he lifted the sword and plunged it into the Conqueror's back. For a few seconds none of the three men moved, seemingly frozen in this moment; Rush and the Conqueror's swords locked together, their faces only a foot apart, while David pushed his own blade further into the Conqueror's chest.

Rush was the first to break the spell. Seeing the blade protruding from the Conquerer's ribs, he pulled his sword back, and the Conqueror's fell forward towards the sand. Rush took a single step backwards to steady himself, before raising his sword and swinging it sideways, aimed at the older man's neck.

Before steel could meet skin, the Conqueror lifted the Valeria Heart one last time. He drove it into Rush's stomach as momentum carried Rush's sword toward the Conqueror's neck. The older man collapsed instantly, his hand still gripping the Valeria Heart. The blade slipped from Rush's abdomen into the sand as Rush swayed on his feet.

Both Lenne and David screamed into the wind. David was at Rush's side in an instant, slowly lowering his friend to the ground. Lenne scrambled towards them and fell to her knees in front of Rush. She grabbed Rush's jacket and the shirt beneath it and pulled them upwards. The sword had left a wound almost three inches long, and blood had begun to flow freely from it.

"No, no!" David cried out. "Hang on Rush, hang on!"

"David, your shirt," Lenne said, something in her mind shutting out the panic that was welling inside of her. "Give me your shirt!"

David did not hesitate before reaching up and pulling off his outer shirt. "Rush stay with us," David said, reaching back down to cradle his friend's head on his legs. Lenne pressed the cloth against the wound with both of her hands. Rush grimaced in pain.

"Is he going to die?" David asked her, his face covered with fear. She did not look at him, but looked up to Rush's face. He was growing pale. She looked back down at the cloth she had pressed against him. It was now soaked through with blood.

"Is he?" David screamed at her.

"I don't know!" she screamed back at him, feeling fear begin to creep into her mind.

"What do we do?" David pleaded with her. She had no reply for him. Her eyes darted back down to her hands, and she lifted the bandage slightly to look underneath it. The bleeding did not seem to have slowed at all. Something caught her eye though – from Rush's pocket, twinkling slightly through the blood that covered it, was a chain.

She reached down and grabbed it immediately, yanking it from Rush's pocket before pressing the cloth back onto the wound.

"I have an idea," she said breathlessly as she began to work quickly. She grabbed Rush's hand and placed it over the cloth. "Rush, try to hold onto this okay?" His grip felt weak beneath her fingers, but he gave her a small nod.

"What are you doing?" David asked weakly.

"Help me get him to the platform," she said, standing and taking hold of Rush's feet. David scrambled to his feet and slid his arms under Rush's and lifted. They shuffled through the sand as fast as they could, almost tripping several times, before they finally reached the platform. They placed Rush gingerly on the cold metal, and Lenne saw the cloth had slipped from his fingers. Blood was still flowing from the wound.

"What are you doing?" David asked again.

"We need to get him to the surface," Lenne replied, standing from Rush's side and stepping off the platform. David leapt to his feet and followed her the few steps down back into the sand. Lenne turned around to face him, her face suddenly grim and exhausted.

"Get back on the platform," she said to him, her tone serious. He opened his mouth to argue with her, but she cut him off. "He said there would be enough time."

David stared at her, at a loss of what to say. He knew Rush well enough to know that his friend had been lying; he wasn't sure there was enough time.

"David, trust me," Lenne said quietly, her tone softer than he had ever heard it before.

"I trust you," he replied, the response automatic and honest. His heart was racing in his chest and his pulse thundered loudly in his ears. "But you can't-" his voice died as he heard Rush grunt in pain behind him.

"He doesn't have much time," Lenne said, looking around David to the platform behind him. "You need to go. I'll take care of it."

Thunder cracked over their heads as David turned back to face her. Her face was absent of any fear, and her determination was etched into her features.

"This was what I set out to do. Destroy them," Lenne told him, taking a step closer to him. She heard Rush moan in pain behind David, and her eyes flickered between the two men.

"Go. I'll be right behind you," she echoed Rush's words. She reached out for David's hand, and their fingers intertwined easily. She pulled him onto the platform, his hand squeezing her's tightly. She looked at David, biting her lip in nervousness, before pulling her hand out of his and reaching down to Rush, placing her fingers lightly on his neck. She could feel his pulse, weak and slow, beneath her fingers. David kneeled on the platform at Rush's side, taking his friend's hand.

"Hold on to him until you reach the surface," Lenne said quickly, stepping off the platform and reaching into her pocket. David looked up to see her raise the artifact in front of her, and suddenly a thin sheen of gold appeared between he and her. It glittered lightly around the platform, instantly silencing the thunder and shielding them from the wind. The floor beneath him began to vibrate slightly, and he heard a hum of energy that he had not heard in years. The sound of a remnant.

His eyes met hers as the humming grew louder. He called out to her over the noise, unsure if she could hear him through the barrier.

"Why?" he screamed, his voice echoing loudly in his own ears. He watched as her eyes darted away from him and down to Rush before she raised them slowly back to David.

"Ask Marina," he heard her call back, her voice distorted as if she were speaking underwater. The hum in the air reached a deafening level as the vibration in the floor became almost violent, and David reached a hand out against the barrier to steady himself, keeping his other hand clasped tightly around Rush's. Rush's hand was limp in his own, and David looked down to his face. His eyes were closed and his lips were slightly parted as if he were asleep.

David looked back to Lenne and saw her looking at his hand pressed against the barrier. Slowly, she reached out and pressed her hand against it from the opposite side, and David felt his chest tighten when he did not feel her skin press against his. And suddenly, David knew what he wished he had said to her that day in her room.

"I wish this had been different," he called out to her, barely able to hear his own voice over the sound of the machine. She did not react to his words, and David watched as her eyes slipped closed.

David instantly felt the floor give out from beneath him. He turned and grabbed desperately onto Rush. They were freefalling through the air within the golden barrier, and David could feel heat instantly envelope them. He pulled Rush to him and wrapped his arms around his chest. As they descended Rush's body began to feel smaller in his arms.

_No, please, _David pleaded in his mind. _Don't let him fade away again._

* * *

Lenne closed her eyes and willed the platform to return David and Rush to the surface. Almost instantly she felt the warm, invisible barrier disappear beneath her fingers, and she opened her eyes. The empty platform stood before her. They were gone.

She lowered her hand, still clutching the artifact tightly, and turned away from the platform. She began to run through the sand, her head turning constantly to watch for landmarks through the dust. She had not gone more than a few hundred feet when the dust cleared suddenly, and she skidded to a halt in the sand. More remnants had moved closer to the area, but her heart skipped a beat when she looked down at the ground. Where normally there had been vast, empty desert, a large hole was beginning to appear in the ground. It stretched over fifty feet across, and Lenne could see now that the remnants were converging around it.

_"They're preparing to launch an attack," _Rush's words filled her head.

"The storm," she said aloud to herself, suddenly remembering the unnatural storm that had seemed to settle over Elysion. She took off at a run again towards the cavern with the machine inside, a renewed panic hastening her feet.

* * *

Torgal looked up the rampart wall as soon as the earthquake hit. He'd sensed it before it had started them, a rumbling coming from deep within the earth. He watched now as Lenne held onto the rope desperately, adrenaline and fear giving her strength she had lacked only a moment ago. Beyond her, David was calling down to her to keep going, when suddenly his feet slipped out from under him.

"DAVID!" Torgal had roared as he and Lenne watched David swing from the rope and collide with the wall. He watched as David began to fall, and Torgal sensed Lenne leaning towards him precariously. Torgal released the rope with both of his left arms and reached out towards David, and he felt the rope being jostled again. Lenne had let go completely and dove outwards, reaching for David. Torgal had snatched frantically after her, his hand gliding briefly over the slick leather of her boot. A feral roar escaped his throat as the air was filled with a loud clang. Lenne and David vanished instantly, leaving a shower of gold sparks behind them.

Realizing what had happened after a few seconds of sheer panic, relief flooded through Torgal at knowing that David had been saved. He gripped the rope again tightly and climbed back to the top of the rampart, the earth beginning to tremble more violently with every passing second. He lifted himself over the top and braced himself against the lip of the wall, when suddenly something in the distance caught his eye. On the open plains beyond Elysion's walls, the land shuddered and then suddenly gave way. It began to crack and crumble as a wide open fissure formed, smoke and dust rising from it.

Squinting to try to see better in the dark, Torgal saw movement briefly from within the crack in the earth. His eyes focused intently on where he'd seen it, he watched as a monster he had never seen before climbed out of the fissure. It was large, at least a few feet taller than Torgal, and its skin shimmered strangely. To Torgal, it looked as though a travelling fire was contained within its skin, moving from limb to limb as it lumbered on all fours towards the city.

Although he was scared to think it, he knew it was a moving, living remnant.

Ever muscle in Torgal's body became tense and on alert. The shaking of the earth began to die as he saw another creature just like the first emerge from the fissure, only to be followed by another. As he watched they began to flow freely out of the earth, swarming over the land and destroying every living thing in their path; both people and beasts.

Lightning cracked through the air again, and Torgal turned his head to look above him. The storm that was lingering over the city had begun to form a distinct area of calm directly in the center of it. A hole, like the eye of a hurricane had formed, and Torgal blinked several times in disbelief. As he stood momentarily to watch, he swore he could see it growing in diameter.

_"It's not natural." _Lenne's words echoed in his mind.

Suddenly something caught Torgal's eye, and he straightened himself up completely to watch it. A spark of gold had appeared in the clouds above him, and it was gradually growing larger. It streaked across the sky, leaving a trail of smoke behind it, and Torgal involuntarily raised his arms to shield himself as it approached. He felt an immense heat wave sweep down his body, then he heard a loud impact beneath him.

Throwing himself back to the rampart's edge to look over it, Togal's eyes widened in shock at the sight at the bottom. Amid a cloud of dust, smoke and golden sparks, David laid on the ground, coughing and gasping for air, next to Rush.

Torgal's eyes darted upwards beyond them. The horde of beasts that had emerged from the fissure was looking towards the two men, their attention drawn to them by their sudden arrival. Torgal did not hesitate before grabbing hold of the rope and leaping over the wall. He lowered himself unnaturally fast to the midpoint of the rope, skinning his palms as he went, before pushing away from the wall and letting go.

* * *

As they descended towards the planet, David clung to Rush, his friend's body lifeless and unresponsive. Seconds passed that felt like years before David suddenly felt Rush lift his arms and wrap them around him in return. Relief flooded through David, and he thought he heard Rush try to say something, but his voice was lost on the wind. They fell away from the dim, overcast light of the graveyard and into the darkness of night.

David opened his mouth to yell to Rush to hold on, when suddenly they crashed onto the surface of the planet. They both crumpled to the ground, and the wind was knocked out of David for a second time. He tried to roll over, gasping for air as he fought the urge to be sick again, and reached out blindly for Rush. His fingers met cloth and he felt a warm arm beneath it. Opening his eyes, he saw Rush –young, alive and seemingly unhurt – lying next to him on his stomach.

A furious roar filled their ears, and both of them lifted their heads towards the sound. In the dim light they could see a crowd of beasts, their skin fiery and unnatural, charging towards them. David began to scramble to his feet, pulling Rush with him, and his hand flew to his waist. His stomach sunk with dread as he realized he had left his sword, forgotten in the chaos, embedded in the body of the Conqueror. Rush too was realizing he was unarmed, and the two men began to scramble backwards. Their backs collided with the stone wall behind them, and David looked around frantically. They were surrounded.

The beast at the front of the pack, eyes wild with hunger, closed the distance easily, and David and Rush dove sideways to try to dodge its reach. They heard a thud and a sickening crack of bones breaking as Torgal leapt downwards, landing on the creature's back. Torgal balanced himself on the its shoulders as he reached up and plunged two swords between its ribs. The beast roared in pain before collapsing beneath the sovani's feet.

"Torgal!" David exclaimed as the sovani leapt down and pulled his blades from the carcass. He quickly handed one to David while tossing one through the air to Rush, who caught it easily and spun it in his hand. Another of the beasts from within the fissure lunged towards them, and Torgal and Rush both swung at it. Torgal drove his sword deep its side while Rush leaped forward and slashed at its neck. The creature staggered backwards before collapsing.

"Where's Lenne?" Torgal yelled over the sounds of chaos around them. Neither Rush nor David answered, they only cast brief glances up at the sky. As Rush's eyes travelled upwards his mouth fell ajar.

"Dave!" he called out, pointing upwards. David threw a quick glance upwards before lowering his eyes again towards a creature that had lunged at him.

"Is that a remnant?" David called out, reaching down to withdraw his sword from the fallen beast before looking up again. His question caused even Torgal to look upwards.

In the clearing of the clouds, which had now grown to encircle the entire city of Elysion, another layer of clouds and dust could be seen. The sun had not yet risen over the planet, yet these clouds were dimly lit. The hole in the storm was creating a passage to the graveyard. On the edge of the cloud line, the glistening outline of shapes could be seen. The remnants had gathered around it, and almost seemed to be looking down on the planet through the storm.

"What's taking so long up there?" Rush asked aloud before returning to the fray of battle.

* * *

Lenne reached the cavern with the machine after a time that felt like hours. She had run through the desert as fast as she could, but navigating the graveyard had been almost impossible since the remnants had moved. She had stopped after a few minutes, her throat burning from the dust in the air. She raised her arms and covered her mouth with her sleeve, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes stung, dry and irritated, but she forced them open as she looked around frantically. The sharp rocks of the cavern were nowhere to be seen, and after only a few seconds she began to run again. Her eyes darted around frantically, searching for that familiar shape, when suddenly she saw something in her peripheral vision.

She skidded to a stop in the sand and raised her sleeve back to her face, greedily breathing in the slightly cleaner air that filtered through it. She stood, chest heaving as she gasped for air, and watched intently in the direction where she thought she had seen something. The wind howled in her ears and wiped more dust into her eyes. Tears were beginning to track down her face in an attempt to clear her eyes, and she blinked furiously, keeping her vision trained forward.

Seconds stretched into minutes as she stood staring, waiting for a break in the wind. When it finally came, her patience was rewarded; the cavern stood in front of her only a few hundred yards off. She ran towards it, trying to keep her sleeve at her face as she went. Her legs burned in protest, pleading for rest, but she ignored them as the cavern came into view. She flew across the sand and onto the stones which paved the path inside. Her footsteps were loud and heavy and echoed throughout the cavern, and as she entered it the wind died instantly.

Coming to a stop she leaned forwards and braced her hands on her knees. Her lungs greedily took in the clean air as she caught her breath. She reached up to wipe her eyes clear and felt a gritty layer of sand over her skin.

Looking up, Lenne saw the machine still sitting dormant, just as it had two years ago. Her stomach began to flutter nervously as she reached into her pocket for the artifact. When she withdrew her hand, she saw it, along with Rush's talisman, splattered with dry blood. The chain on which the talisman had hung was snapped at one place, and she realized it must have happened when she and David had travelled to the graveyard.

_"It's always helped me when I needed it," _she heard Rush's voice from two years ago in her mind.

"It's worth a shot, right?" she said aloud, echoing Rush's words. Her eyes darted back up the machine as she stepped forward slowly. It towered over her, at least thirty feet tall, and she suddenly felt very small in comparison. The fear that she had blocked out when she sent David and Rush back to the planet began to creep back into her mind. She knew that Rush had no way of knowing what would happen to whoever used this machine, but she also knew the consequences of not using it.

Slowly, she raised her trembling hand up towards the machine, clutching Rush's talisman and the artifact tightly. The machine's core, an orb exactly like the artifact's, began to glow from within, and the rings around it slowly began to turn.

As Lenne's eyes slipped closed, she pushed that growing fear within her aside. She focused on destroying the remnants, on keeping the planet safe. She focused on what had set her on this path three years ago; before Rush, David, and the Rebellion.

* * *

Rush and David's swords fell through the air at the same time, both working together to bring down another monster. Torgal was a few feet away from them, fighting a monster of his own, when suddenly they heard it. A deep rumbling sounded from the air above them, and the land was suddenly illuminated by a strange, purple light. The air began to vibrate with energy around them, causing even the monsters from the earth to stop and look around. Rush chanced a look upwards and saw that up in the remnant graveyard, the clouds that had covered the sky above him for fifteen years were collapsing inward. The storm clouds above them were suddenly alight with lightning, bolts flashing constantly across the sky.

"Rush!" David called out to him, and Rush felt someone grasp his arm. "Get down!"

Rush allowed David to drag him to the ground, and after a second he felt Torgal's body hovering protectively over them. Lightning was flashing down and striking the walls of the city, sending shards of stone flying through the air.

"They're coming!" Rush yelled out, and David and Torgal looked upwards. They could see the shapes of remnants descending through the clouds.

_Lenne, _David thought. _Where are you?_ He suddenly felt Torgal press him closer to the ground as the air began to pulse loudly around them. He heard the sovani grunt in pain as a piece of the rampart wall crashed into his shoulder, but he held his protective stance over them. As chaos erupted around them, David felt Rush reach out for his hand.

Just then, Lenne answered.

David felt the air around him suddenly become still, and he turned his head to look upwards. Everything fell eerily silent, and as he watched, the hole in the clouds above them began to close. The entire storm collapsed inward on itself, lightning and clouds condensing to a single point before suddenly exploding.

Spreading in a perfect circle, a ring of energy and light flew outwards, reaching the horizon line in seconds. It cleared behind it all signs of the storm and the graveyard, and a furious, unearthly screech filled the air. Night became day as a bright flash followed, temporarily blinding David. The ground began to shake more violently than ever, and David pressed his face to the grass, covering his head with his arms. Dirt and heat swirled around them, and he heard Rush scream Lenne's name.

As quickly as it began, everything once again fell silent. The earth beneath them settled into stillness for the final time, and David hesitantly lifted his head.

"Rush? Torgal?" he called out, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the changes in light. The darkness of night had returned as soon as the energy wave which had cleared the skies crested the horizon.

"I'm okay," he heard Rush reply next to him.

"Torgal?" David asked again, panic rising in his stomach.

"Here," he heard the sovani respond from behind him. The quake had caused Torgal to lose his balance as he tried to protect them and tossed him a few feet behind David. A section of the rampart wall had crumbled away, and Torgal's leg was partially pinned under large piece of stone. Rush and David both crawled to Torgal's side, and quickly began to push it off of him.

"I think it may have broken a bone," Torgal growled through clenched teeth as the two men rolled the boulder that was resting partially on his ankle leg.

"It's alright, we'll get you out of here," Rush said hurriedly, throwing one of Torgal's lower arms over his shoulder. David quickly followed suit on the other side and they lifted the sovani to his feet.

"We have a pack with medicine along the road, hopefully it's still there," David told him as they began to walk, supporting Torgal, away from the city. As they crossed the field near the fissure, they saw that the beasts which had spawned had somehow been burned severely, their charred carcasses littering the ground. The smell was overpowering, and David had to breathe through his mouth to keep nausea from overcoming him.

"What about Lenne?" David asked when they had travelled only a hundred feet from the city. Rush looked upward and stopped immediately in shock. David and Torgal followed his gaze upwards.

"Oh," David sighed in awe.

The night sky had been completely cleared of all clouds, revealing more stars than David had ever recalled seeing before. Across the darkness streams of colors shimmered faintly, changing between shades of purple, blue and green. Although beautiful, the sky lacked the one thing David had hoped to see; a smoke trail leading back to the planet.

He looked at Rush, his mouth slightly ajar with the unasked question, but Rush's face confirmed his fear. She had not made it back.

"We should keep moving, we can't be found here," Torgal said, grimacing in pain from his leg. David and Rush began moving forward again, supporting Torgal, a sinking feeling growing in their chests as they went. As they travelled slowly through the early morning and midday hours towards Athlum, David could not stop remembering the last time he saw her; hand outstretched towards his, a sadness that he feared he would never understand in her eyes.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! The epilogue will hopefully answer any lingering questions you have. See you soon!


	12. Chapter 12

Final Author's Note: First and foremost, thank you to all the readers who have stuck out this story with me. This took me so long to complete due to laziness, school, etc. But here we are at the end. So as I wrap up both of these things, I just want to say thank you all and I'm glad you're here to see it!

Special thanks to Sorceress Nadira for being my lovely (albeit sometimes too damn knowledgeable) beta!

Also on a side note, if you haven't seen it already, I made a fictional trailer for this story, which is available on youtube. I've also made a very short playlist available of the music that inspired certain scenes of the story, particularly the last few chapters. See the link to my youtube account in my profile.

Thank you all again. Onto the ending!

* * *

Sacrifice

Chapter XII

* * *

A heavy, solemn air followed Rush, David and Torgal their entire journey back to Athlum.

Upon returning to the road, David was able to find their traveling pack still under the bush where Lenne had left it. After treating Torgal's leg with the limited medicines in it, they fled from the city as fast as they could, racing the sun that was creeping over the horizon. David could not stop himself from looking back towards the city as they went, hoping to see that a smoke trail had appeared in the sky. But as Elysion disappeared behind the crest of a hill, he began to lose hope for seeing one, and physical and emotional exhaustion began to set in.

As the sun began to rise in the sky, they agreed without speaking to diverge away from the road, subconsciously following each other into a wooded area. Upon finding a clearing they laid down on the ground, and were asleep in seconds, making no effort to make themselves comfortable.

When David woke a few hours later, the sun was still up but lower on the horizon, and rays of light were streaming eerily through the trees above him. He blinked several times, the events of the past day slowly reentering his mind. He felt his chest tighten as he remembered that Lenne was not returning with them, and that he would never see her again.

He looked around and found Rush sitting near Torgal, the two talking quietly while Rush carefully measured a second dose of pain medicine for the General. As David raised his head from the ground Rush caught his eye. The younger mitra's eyes were dark and sad, a feeling that David was sure was mirrored on his own face.

"We should probably stay here a little while longer," Rush said quietly, turning back to the medicine bottle in his hands. "Torgal hasn't slept much."

"No," Torgal stated quickly. "I'll be fine, we should continue-"

"No," both David and Rush cut him off simultaneously, and Torgal's ears twitched backwards before the sovani sighed in annoyance.

"Very well, but only an hour or two," he said, taking the medicine which Rush was holding out to him.

"I'll gather wood for a fire," David said, pulling himself off the hard ground and rubbing his sore neck from sleeping in such an uncomfortable environment. He turned away from them and set off into the woods. Rush's eyes followed him as he left, worry crossing his face.

David wondered aimlessly through the woods, gathering few pieces of dry wood although he passed many. His steps became uneven and his feet dragged as he began to feel the full ramifications of what had occurred. The world was now surely scrambling to understand what had happened that had lit up the sky, turning night into day for a moment, and had changed the sky overhead forever.

As they had fled Elysion, he had noticed ribbons of color flowing over the sky that had been consistently present yet always changing in color. Their behavior had held his interest for hours of their journey as he watched them float in and out of clouds, sometimes coloring them and sometimes hiding behind them.

Now as he looked up, he could barely see them through the trees. He searched for the one that was the color of Lenne's eyes. His eyes darted between leaves, seeking any sign of indigo. There was none.

Before David had realized it, he felt a tear escape down his cheek. He felt the familiar feeling of loss swell in his chest, and his breath hitched in his throat. He slowly came to accept the reality that she was gone. Another person had come and gone from his life, leaving in her wake memories that David knew would never fade.

He thought back to only a few days ago, when they had stood at the window of her room. He remembered how soft her hair had been between his fingers. He closed his eyes tightly, releasing more tears down his cheeks as he leaned against a tree. He wished he had kissed her. He wished things had been different.

Rush watched his friend lean against a tree from a distance, his shoulders sagging in a way that Rush recognized immediately. Grief. He watched Dave, thankful that he was far enough away to not hear the quiet sobs he knew were there. Rush was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt, realizing that Lenne and Dave had had some kind of closeness that he was not aware of, and that it was gone now. After a few moments he turned and walked back to Torgal, giving him a brief nod to signal that Dave was okay, before sitting and leaning against a tree. David did not reenter the clearing for nearly half an hour, and when he did they built a fire without a word.

A short time later, as Torgal slept against a tree, Rush and David sat down on the opposite side of the fire, trying not to wake him.

"How are you feeling?" David asked Rush, who gave him an awkward look. "I mean, from being stabbed, there's no residual pain?" David explained quickly.

"No," Rush replied, instinctively reaching down towards where he'd been impaled with the Valeria Heart. "Nothing at all."

They sank into an uncomfortable silence, not sure of what to say to each other. David's eyes wondered to the fire, looking at it without seeing it. It wasn't until Rush let out a trembling breath that David looked back at him. The younger man's hands were pressed to his face, and David reached out to him automatically.

"Hey," David said, squeezing Rush's shoulder. "What is it?"

"I just-" Rush choked out, his throat tight. "It felt like I was there for so long, I thought sometimes that my parents could be gone. That I'd missed Irina growing up," Rush rambled breathlessly, trying to keep his composure.

"It's like you've lived another lifetime," David said, trying to calm his friend's anxiety. "But it's only been two years here. They're all alive and together, and Irina hasn't turned seventeen yet."

At David's words Rush began to take deep breaths, willing himself to calm down. He lowered his hands to reveal that his eyes were red and his cheeks were wet with tears. "You're sure?" Rush asked, looking to David with an expression that made him seem like a young, worried child.

"Yes," David replied, a small smile crossing his face. "They moved to Eulam to be with Irina after the Academy was shut down." David made a point to not tell Rush about the rocky state of John and Marina's relationship when they had left for their small island home. Although that tension in their relationship had been later resolved, he did not feel it necessary to convey how Rush's disappearance had further affected his parents beyond the pain of already losing their son.

"As soon as we reach Athlum, we'll arrange a trip to Eulam immediately. I promise," David added, squeezing Rush's shoulder a final time before releasing his grip. Rush sniffled and nodded, and began to roughly wipe the moisture away from his cheeks. When he finally raised his eyes to meet Dave's again, a new seriousness had flooded across his features.

"Thanks for coming for me. Thank you so much, Dave."

David nodded, wondering how Rush could expect him to not seize such an opportunity. He did not say anything though, pressing his lips together into a thin line. Looking for a distraction, David leaned forward and stoked the fire needlessly. An odd feeling of discomfort fell over the clearing as Rush and David sat in silence, watching the flames without seeing them, lost in their own thoughts.

After over half an hour of silence, Rush finally voiced the question that was swarming mercilessly through David's mind.

"Why do you think she did it?"

David's chin sank almost onto his chest as he released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"I don't know, and I'm afraid we'll never know."

* * *

Although Torgal's pain was managed as best they could, it still took the trio three days to return to Athlum. Once there they worked their way through the city, which involved a doubled dose of medicine so the sovani could feign an uninjured appearance. When they reached the castle side entrance, they found it devoid of guards, and only Blocter in their place.

"Thank da' God Emperor," the yama sighed in relief when he saw them approaching. "Emmy 'n I's been waitin' here two days-" His words failed him at the sight of Rush. "Rush? Is dat really you?"

"Sure is," Rush replied, reaching out to try and hug the towering yama. "Good to see you again." Blocter stood in stunned silence a moment before squeezing the air out of Rush.

"You too buddy. You too. Oh, Lord David," Blocter continued, releasing Rush who quietly gasped for air. "Emmy's got somethin' you needa see."

They headed for the general's quarters and found Emmy dozing in a chair in her office.

"Emmy," David whispered after stopping short in the doorway. He took a few silent steps forward, closing the distance between himself and Emmy, and lightly shook her elbow. "Emmy, wake up."

Emmy's eyes snapped open, reaching out for her sword with one hand as her other flew to David's collar. David gasped in surprise, taking an unsure step backwards away from her. Torgal flew between them, catching Emmy's flailing blade in one hand as his other arms grabbed at her shoulders and the hand gripping David's clothes.

"Emmy!" he hissed at her, his eyes finding hers as the cloudiness and confusion of sleep faded from them. He watched as her pupils slowly shrunk while she looked up at him, comprehension slowly covering her face.

"Torgal," she sighed, and instantly her sword fell from her hand as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. To David's mild surprise, Torgal's face softened and he briefly raised his arms to embrace her in return.

"So no welcome home hug for me?" Rush spoke up, leaning against the doorway as he watched the exchange between Torgal and Emmy.

From beneath Torgal's embrace, a muffled obscenity was heard as Emmy turned her gaze and caught sight of Rush. She drew away from Torgal and moved towards the young mitra, opening her arms to embrace him. David could not stop himself from smiling as he watched Rush be welcomed home by his one of his oldest friends.

"I can't believe it!" Emmy exclaimed as she gripped Rush tightly, bouncing slightly in his arms. A smile broke out across Rush's face as he hugged her back.

"But where's Lenne?" Emmy finally asked, pulling back from Rush. The momentary elation faded instantly, and she looked around at their faces as a silence fell over the room.

"She uh..." Rush started, but his voice died in his throat. David looked away from Emmy's eyes, casting his gaze downward. He felt a tightening in his chest that he had tried to block out as they had travelled home return in full force.

"She didn't make it," Torgal told her quietly. She looked back to him, surprise crossing her face. They all stood in silence for a short time before Emmy's eyes darted down and finally noticed Torgal's leg. Although they had hidden the bandage as best they could, a small blood-soaked corner had escaped.

"You're hurt," she said, reaching towards the bandage.

"It was broken, but we've been mending it during our travel back. It will be almost fully healed with a visit to a proper physician," Torgal reassured her, his voice quiet and soft.

Their attention was drawn to the doorway to Emmy's quarters in the back of her office as Jager entered the room. Rush took a step back, every muscle in his body tensing up.

"It's okay," David said to him quietly, reaching out and placing his hand on Rush's forearm. "He's okay. They're actually engaged," David added, a light chuckle sneaking into his voice. Rush's eyebrows raised in surprise as he looked between David, Emmy, and Jager.

"Oh, well…'grats then, man!" Rush said quickly, trying to keep from offending either Jager or Emmy. They both smiled, understandingly, before Emmy's face fell again.

"Oh! Lord David, this as delivered while you were gone," she said, reaching into her wristguard where she had tucked Marina Sykes' letter for safe keeping. David opened it quickly, and Rush and Torgal moved to look over his shoulder as he read.

_Lord David,_

_ Your letter was a pleasant surprise to us in Eulam. I am glad to hear that you and Athlum are doing well. John, Irina and I are doing as well as can be expected. _

_ In regards to your question, there was no researcher at the Academy that I was aware of by the name of Lenne, but I am left to wonder if you mean a younger woman there whose name was Lenadora. I never worked with her myself, as she was assigned to a different project, but I did know of her._

_ From what I heard from my collegues, she was married and had two young children, and a girl and a younger boy. Her husband had taken the children to visit Lenadora's parents in Nagapur to go fishing on that day Gwayn was awakened. Her husband, children, and parents all perished in the attack. _

_When I heard the story of what had happened to her family, my heart went out to her completely. Losing Rush was devastating enough; I can't imagine what losing one's entire family would do to a person._

_ I don't know what happened to her after that time; we were all so caught up in the Last Remnant War. I hope this is of some help to you._

_Best Wishes,_

_Marina Sykes_

"You wrote my mom?" Rush asked, reaching out and touching the page where Marina's signature was inscribed.

"It was a last resort to try to find information about Lenne…" David explained. "She had no idea it had anything to do with you," he added quickly. Relief swept through Rush instantly; he would have been upset to hear his mother's hopes were raised of his returning when he was so close to truly never seeing her again.

"We found this one in Lenne's room after you left as well," Emmy said, reaching out to hand David a letter with Athlum's seal in wax upon it. Turning it over, David read the name on the front aloud.

"Logahn?" he asked, lifting his eyes to the others. "Who's that?" He watched as they all shook their heads.

"Should we open it?" Asked Emmy.

"No," David replied quickly, and in his mind he was unsure if it was out of respect for Lenne's privacy, or that if it was going to be opened, he wanted to open it alone.

"We'll track him down as soon as we can," he added, slipping the letter into his coat pocket.

"There's something else, Lord David," Emmy interrupted his thoughts, her voice taking on a sad tone.

David and Rush looked up at her at the same time. The look on her face caught Rush off guard, she suddenly seemed so overwhelmed with sadness. Out of the corner of his eye he saw David's shoulders slump ever so slightly.

"When?"

"Two mornings ago. Right after that crazy light in the sky. He saw it and told me that you had remembered. Then he lost consciousness and never woke up."

David's head fell. "I'd like to go see him. Torgal, go get yourself taken care of. I'll be in my quarters the rest of the day." Torgal nodded and Emmy reached out to him. He accepted her shoulder to steady himself as they turned down the hall towards the physicians wing. Blocter followed them, opening doors for them as needed.

"Rush, if you don't mind, would you come with me?" David asked, and without waiting for an answer turned down the hall in the opposite direction of Blocter, Torgal and Emmy. Rush followed him without a word until they stepped outside to the small castle graveyard.

"Dave….who?" Rush finally asked Dave when he saw where they were.

"Pagus."

Rush's steps faltered at his answer. He starred after David, who was weaving through the graveyard to the back. A little further off, Rush could see a fresh grave.

He joined David at the foot of it a moment later. They stood in silence for a long time before David spoke.

"It's Athlum tradition to bury the dead within a day," he said quietly. Rush turned to the side to look at his friend. A slight breeze blew David's hair into his eyes, keeping Rush from making eye contact.

"It was said that it helped them move onto the next life quicker, so they wouldn't become anchored in this world," David continued. "But really that story was only started during the Second Great Sickness a few hundred years ago, to prevent the spread of the disease. Pagus taught me that when I was a child."

Rush was quiet a moment before responding. "I think maybe they're both true."

The corners of David's mouth tugged downward in sadness. "I don't."

They both fell quiet again, each lost in thought.

"The last time I saw him, he gave me a bit of a scolding," David finally said. Rush turned towards him, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"What for?"

A sad smile tugged at David's lips. "I had told him that I wanted to return the remnants to the planet. I wanted to stop the collapses and the Rebellion…but really I became no better than them. He told me to remember the lessons of the past. I was so focused on bringing them back when they almost killed us all last time. And they took you away…" his voice trailed off. "I feel ashamed."

"Don't," Rush said immediately, reaching out to place a hand on David's shoulder. "Emmy said that Pagus said you remembered. He knew you had done the right thing."

David looked up at Rush, moisture that he couldn't stop pricking his eyes. "Only because you and Lenne made me."

Rush remained quiet, unsure of how to respond aside from giving David's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"I wish we could have at least buried her somehow."

Rush turned back to look at David. "So you do believe both stories." He said to David, more as a statement than a question.

A small smile played on David's face. "Maybe I do."

* * *

Rush's highly anticipated trip to Eulam Island turned out to be unnecessary. As hard as David tried, it was not until a few days after their return before he could clear his schedule for the journey. Although Rush wanted to return home more than anything, he wanted David to come with him, and was barely able to contain his impatience as he waited. He had even taken to trying to help David with his various duties and paperwork, offering to run documents on foot around the castle in hopes of speeding things up. And even though Rush tried to hide his anxiety over making the trip, David began to feel guilty for keeping his friend from reuniting with his family, although Rush did not want to leave without him. David also knew they were racing against the speed at which gossip would inevitably Eulam, as their re-entry into Athlum had not gone completely unnoticed.

The day before they were to depart, David was in his audience chamber, speaking with Torgal as he perused documents awaiting his approval. Rush had just left for the antechamber of the hall to get tea for himself and David.

"This is to renew the Balterossa merchants' license for the trading fare next month," Torgal said as he slid a piece of paper in front of David. As he raised his quill to dip it in the inkpot on his table, David heard a commotion at the entrance of the hall.

"Let me go! I need to get in!" He heard a female voice scream from the far end of the hall, followed by the clatter of metal hitting the ground. Looking up at the door, David could only see the silhouette of a woman against the sunlight, struggling against the guards. David felt his heart begin to race as he saw the sun glinting off her long, dark hair.

"Let her through," David called, standing and taking a few steps forward. "Let her through!"

The guards instantly released her and she stumbled forward towards David. As he squinted against the sunlight, her features began to take shape to him. He felt his heart sink slightly at the recognition of her face.

"Mister David," she said breathlessly, coming to a stop a few feet from him. Irina Sykes stared up at him, her hair tossed messily over her face as she struggled to catch her breath. Her eyes were wide open and wild.

"Irina…What's wrong?" He asked.

"It's gone," she said, still gasping for air. "Since that light in the sky, it's gone!" She exclaimed as she raised her hands up in front of her. David recognized the movement from when she had used Marion's blessing in the past. Now as she stood in front of him, nothing happened.

"Irina!" he heard another voice call from the entrance, and they both looked up and saw Marina Sykes in the doorway.

"I'm so sorry, Lord David," she said as she approached he and Irina. "I told her there was no reason to be in such a hurry, that you wouldn't know why it was gone. But she insisted."

"It's quite alright," he said, his eyes moving between mother and daughter. As he looked at Marina he remembered Lenne's letter that Rush had discovered, and was desperate to ask her who Logahn was.

But first things first.

"I actually may have someone who could help explain what's going on here," he started, barely hiding a smirk that begged to break out across his face. "But first, allow me to get us some tea."

Turning his head over his shoulder, David called out in an uncharacteristically harsh voice. "Hey! Where's that tea?"

For a split second, David felt the atmosphere in the room become tense and uncomfortable. Those who knew him knew he wasn't one to yell at anyone. He turned back to Irina and her mother, his face remaining blank and emotionless as he waited. Irina starred back at him, bewildered shock on her face.

"Holy smokes Dave, I'm coming!" A voice replied from beyond the door behind David's throne. "Geez you try to do something nice for someone and- " Rush's voice died in his throat as he emerged from the antechamber, holding two cups of tea, and caught sight of his mother and sister. Rush stood frozen, his mouth hanging slightly open, and David turned to look at Irina. Her eyes were wide and turned to meet his. A soft smile spread across his lips before he gave her the slightest nod.

"Rush?" Marina gasped, her voice cracking in emotion, and her voice broke the spell over the room. David heard the teacups shatter on the floor behind him and saw all three Sykes come together, colliding in a tangle of embraces and tears. Marina burst into tears as she held her son against her tightly, and Irina turned to look towards David.

"I knew it," she said quietly, leaning her head onto her brother's shoulder. David was about to ask her how, although he suspected Irina could have been able to sense such a thing, when suddenly Marina turned to him.

"Oh you dear boy," she said, throwing her arms around David and beginning to cry in earnest again. "Thank you."

* * *

That evening, Marina, Rush, David and Irina gathered around a fireplace in the castle, drinking tea as Rush and David explained what had happened over the past few months.

"She had to have known that returning you to the planet would have saved you," Irina mused aloud as they reached the end of their story.

"It must have been from when I met her – the Conqueror beat her up pretty bad and almost killed her up there," Rush replied, remembering running at the Conqueror in desperation when he had seen him strangling Lenne in the sand.

"How did you both survive so long?" Marina asked, drawing his attention back to the conversation. David turned towards Rush, as he too was very interested in his answer.

"Well, when we got there we weren't together, the Conqueror and I. And we did fight each other as soon as we ran into each other, which took a few weeks. But neither of us could win and we just stopped eventually. We split up after that and just avoided each other, until Lenne showed up that time. I think when she would use that thing to come to the graveyard it would somehow call to him, because I hadn't seen him in a long time before that."

They all fell into silence a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Doctor Sykes," David finally spoke up, turning towards Marina. "When we left her…I asked her why she did all of this and she said to ask you. Do you know why she would say that?"

Marina considered him for a moment before responding. "No…no I can't think of why she'd say that." David's heart sank with her answer.

"She left a letter behind for someone named Logahn, does that sound familiar at all?" Rush asked. David looked at the older woman hopefully. But to his dismay, she slowly shook her head side to side.

"I'm sorry, but no." She said quietly, watching as both boys' faces fell in disappointment.

"Maybe she meant I'd understand as a mother," she said tentatively, reaching out for Rush's hand. "I knew after we lost Rush, I hated everything to do with the remnants. I would have destroyed them myself if I could have. For her…to lose her entire family to them…I can't imagine what that must have done to her."

A quiet sob drew everyone's attention as Marina stopped speaking. On the other side of her, Irina had begun to cry, her face in her hands.

"Irina, what is it?" Rush asked, concerned.

"I-" Irina muttered between sobs. "I killed her family."

"Oh honey," Marina said soothingly, pulling her daughter into her arms. "Don't think like that."

Rush stood and moved to Irina's side, rubbing her shoulder. "Yeah sis, it was an accident. Don't cry."

David looked away from the family, feeling out of place as they tried to comfort Irina. Logahn's identity still nagged at him. He needed to know who he was.

"David," Marina said quietly, drawing his attention from his thoughts. "I have a few friends from the academy I still keep in touch with. In the morning I'll see if they know of any surviving family members of hers."

"Thank you," he said quietly. They fell into silence again, and David watched Rush out of the corner of his eye. Irina was leaning on his shoulder, wiping away stray tears, and he kept an arm wrapped around her. For the first time, David began to wonder what would happen next. Rush was planning to return to Eulam with his mother and sister to see his father, who had decided not to come with the two women to Athlum. And of course he was going to come back to Athlum for Emmy's wedding, but what about after that? David's heart began to feel heavy again, a feeling becoming all too familiar to him recently.

David decided to retire for the night and stood, bidding goodnight to the Sykes. Rush looked up at him with a sad smile as David turned towards the door.

"Oh," David said, stopping to turn back to the family one last time. "I'm sure you're excited to return to Eulam, but know that you're welcome here," he told them, and his eyes met Rush's. "For as long as you like."

* * *

Veyriel was known for its humid climate, but as David, Rush, Emmy and Torgal worked their way across the landscape, David thought to himself that it should only be known for its abnormally large insects. For miles around them was only murky swamp lands with no relief in sight from the thick, dank air.

"It shouldn't be much further," said Torgal as he watched Emmy swat a bug away from her face. Marina Sykes had been able to track down Lenne's only known surviving relative – her mother-in-law. They had set out immediately, at David's insistence, to speak with her at her home in Veyriel.

They arrived at the house half an hour later. It was a shabby, run down home set on stilts to keep it out of the swamp beneath it. There was a small porch area surrounded by netting, and David and the others could see many different species of bugs stuck in its webbing. They dismounted quickly, and Emmy and Torgal took hold of the others' reins as Rush and David climbed the porch steps up to the door. David raised his fist and knocked briskly before his hands met behind his back, a habit that Rush was beginning to notice that David did when he was nervous.

After a moment the doorknob squeaked as it was turned, and the door opened to reveal an older woman. Her hair was tied up loosely on her head, and grey tendrils hung loosely around her face. Her eyes were bright and alert while the rest of her face seemed tired.

"Yes?" she asked hesitantly, glancing between David and Rush quickly. "Can I help you?"

"Yes," David began. "I am Duke David Nassau of Athlum. I am here concerning your daughter-in-law, Lenadora." Her full name felt foreign to his tongue as he spoke.

They both watched the woman as she glanced out at her porch over their shoulders, and just beyond the edge saw both Torgal and Emmy tending to their horses. As she glanced back at David and Rush, she scoffed harshly.

"Well she's not here… wretched girl. Haven't seen her in over six bloody months-"

"I will not have you speak of her in such a manner in front of us, Madam," David interrupted her harshly, reaching out to place his hand on the door to prevent her from slamming it in their faces. She looked startled for a brief flash before her face grew suspicious.

"Why, what's she done now?" she asked.

"It'd be better if you invite us inside if you want the whole story. It's gonna take a while, " Rush replied, crossing his arms over his chest. The woman seemed to consider this for a moment before she opened the door fully and moved inside, and the two men followed her inside.

They entered the dimly lit house, their eyes taking in as many details as they could. The rooms were small and sparsely furnished, with very few personal items present. They followed her into a small room with a couch and two chairs around a table, and she took one chair while Rush and David sat next to each other on the couch.

"Now, what is it that my godforsaken daughter-in-law had gotten herself into this time?"

Almost an hour later, David watched as Rush produced a handkerchief from his pocket and passed it across the sitting area to the woman. They had told her everything about how Lenne had become involved in the Rebellion and had turned to help David and eventually stopped a Remnant invasion. The woman had sat in silence for a long time before tears began to stream down her face and she started to hiccup quietly.

"I can't imagine," she finally said after a long, reverent silence. "Finding out that the Remnants weren't really gone after all. We lost so much the first time." She clutched the handkerchief tightly to her face as she continued to quietly sob. "And I thought she was being selfish and abandoning her family."

At the mention of her family, David's heart began to race. The name Logahn had haunted his mind for weeks and he desperately wanted to know who he was. He felt his stomach churn with an animosity that he couldn't justify…only that he was jealous of any man that she had left a letter for while leaving David with nothing but questions.

As David sat, his mind trying to arrange the question properly in his head, he and Rush suddenly heard a noise from behind them.

"Granma?"

Everything instantly came together in David's mind, and his face crumpled in despair at the sound of that small voice. He and Rush turned around instantly, and David's breath froze in his chest. His eyes fell upon a small boy, maybe only three or four years old. He had dark hair and eyes that were a color he would never forget for the rest of his life. They were her eyes.

David heard a small hiccup from Lenne's mother-in-law behind him as he stood, facing the small boy. David took a step around the couch toward him, and the boy looked up at him, wide eyed with curiosity. David stopped a step away from the boy and lowered himself onto his knees in front of him. Behind him and unseen by David, Rush's face fell into his hands.

"Logahn?" David asked quietly, now kneeled down to the boy's eye level. The boy looked at him questioningly with wide eyes.

David smiled sadly. "I was a friend of your mother. My name is David," he replied. Logahn's eyes widened at his words.

"Where's mommy?" he asked, his voice rising in excitement. David felt his heart break within his chest at the question. Behind him, he heard Rush muffle a quiet sob.

"She's gone away," David replied, and his voice shook as he spoke. He reached inside his pocket and withdrew her letter with trembling fingers. The wax seal on the back was still intact. "But she gave me this to give to you."

David held it out to him, and Logahn looked at it with curious eyes. A second later the boy snatched it out of David's hand, and David felt as if his last lingering piece of Lenne had left him. He bit his lip to try and maintain his composure as he watched the boy clutch the letter to his chest tightly.

"Logahn," David said quietly, his voice cracking. "I just want to tell you that your mother was amazing. And if you ever need anything," he said, pausing to look over his shoulder at Logahn's grandmother before turning back to the boy. "You come find me in Athlum, and I'll do everything I can to take care of you. Okay?" He asked, the question coming out almost sounding like a plea. Logahn looked at him for a second, still clutching the letter, before nodding.

David looked down at the floor as he slowly stood. "Rush…its time to go home."


	13. Epilogue

Note: This is the epilogue! If you missed chapter 12 which was published at the same time (and I see some of you are by the visitor stats) go read that first!

* * *

Sacrifice

Epilogue – Two Months Later

* * *

David smoothed his jacket lapels one final time, checking them in the mirror. Emmy's wedding was to start in a few moments, after multiple delays due to the events surrounding Elysion and Lenne. After the public relations nightmare of calming Athlum due to what had become known as "the light in the sky," things had finally begun to quiet down. The Rebellion leaders had turned themselves in voluntarily, after which the group had collapsed and dispersed.

Now, as he headed towards Emmy's quarters so he could escort her to the ceremony, he stopped short as he rounded the corner and found Torgal at her door. The sovani was dressed similarly to David, in formal Athlum attire, and was staring at the wooden door in front of him, unmoving. He did not look at David as he moved to his side.

"Torgal?" He questioned quietly.

"Hmm?" the general hummed, turning his head slowly to look at David.

"Its not too late to do the right thing," David said quietly, crossing his hands at his back. He caught Torgal's gaze and searched the sovani's eyes. They were slightly wider than normal, but David could not read the emotion behind them. Torgal didn't say anything, only stood staring at David for a moment, before stepping away from the door. He left David at the door alone, and headed towards the garden where the ceremony would be held, a slight limp still in his step from his injury in Elysion. David's forehead creased in sadness, and he wrung his hands together once before sighing to regain his composure.

"Emmy?" David called, tapping his knuckles lightly on the wood of the door.

"Come in," he heard her call from the other side.

David entered the room, closing the door behind him. He raised his eyes to Emmy, who stood in front of a mirror. Her dress was simple with clean, cream colored fabric reaching to the floor. The wide, swooping neckline accented her neck and collarbone, with her hair barely brushing against her skin.

"Emma would be so proud," he said to her quietly.

Emmy looked up at him in the reflection of the mirror and gave him a shy smile. "Mum would be briefing Jager on how she plans on murdering him if he ever steps out of line."

She turned towards David as he reached her side, a light chuckle escaping his lips.

"Well that would have made two threats for Jager today," he said, laughing as she reached out to swat his arm. He watched as she turned back to the mirror, reaching up to fuss with her hair.  
"Don't," he said, reaching up to pull her hand away from it. "You look beautiful."

She turned back to him, a sad smile crossing her face. "I wish Mum was here. Maybe then Torgal-"

"Don't think about that. I tried to convince him as well but you know him. The immovable object, so to speak," David told her, giving her hand a slight squeeze. "Now c'mon, lets go get you married." She nodded, and they turned towards the doorway.

"David," she said quietly, tugging him by the hand to stop before they could reach the door.

"Hmm?" he asked, turning to look back at her. She closed the distance between them and to his surprise, placed a sisterly kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for walking me down the aisle."

He pulled away from her and looked at her, a smile tugging at his lips. "It's my honor, Emmy." He said, extending his arm to her. She returned his smile before hooking her arm into his, and together they walked through the door.

As Emmy and David rounded a corner near Emma's garden, both of them stopped short at the sight that awaited them. Torgal stood alone, blocking the hallway, and when they appeared he and Emmy locked eyes. They stood for a moment, all three silent, before Torgal's eyes moved to David's. As David shared a pointed look with his General, he realized there was something in Torgal's eyes that he had never seen before. Nervousness.

Torgal closed the distance between himself and them before speaking. "Lord David, if I may have a moment with Emmy."

"Of course," David replied, releasing Emmy's arm from his. "I'll be at the end of the hall," he told her before stepping away from them, making sure to catch Torgal's eye.

"Emmy…" he started, and she looked up at him expectantly. His mouth fell shut as he tried to decide what to say.

"The great General Torgal, speechless?" she asked, her tone light.

"You're not making this easy," he growled at her, but he couldn't keep from smiling as soon as he saw her do so. "It's just, I'm not your father Emmy. You know that."

"Yes, I do," she said, drawing a deep breath. "But he wasn't there, and you were. Ever since I was a child. And you loved mum."

Torgal's eyes flew to hers. She had voiced something that had never been spoken of, not even when Emma died. His eyes grew sad.

"But drawing attention to that, or even having a rumor be spawned-" he started, but she interrupted.

"I don't care. David doesn't care. What would Emma want you to do?" She asked, taking one of his big hands in both of hers. His brow furrowed at Emma's name.

"She'd want me to do what I felt was right," he replied after a moment. Emmy smiled up at him as she reached out and began to fidget with his shirt collar nervously. "You look so like her," he whispered quietly.

Emmy looked down, away from his eyes, and started fussing with his shirt cuffs. She hoped he couldn't see the tears that glistened in her eyes.

"You ready then?" she asked. "We're already a little late-" she was interrupted by Torgal suddenly reaching out and wrapping his arms around her small frame.

"I'm ready now."

* * *

In the garden that Emma brought back to life, Jager and Rush stood waiting at the front of the gathering of guests.

"Where the hell is she?" Jager whispered harshly to Rush at his side.

"I dunno, maybe she changed her mind."

"Listen I know we've had some bad pastimes, you an' me, but that ain't funny man!" Jager hissed back at him.

"Well you do steal little sisters-"

"Rush!"

"Geez Jager, it'll be okay. You know women…they take forever to get ready."

"Not Emmy!"

"I'm sure its fine, just calm down," Rush replied, when suddenly David appeared at the back of the room. "See," Rush said, cocking his head toward David. "There's Dave, so she's comin'." But as the two men watched, David lowered his head slightly and half walked, half jogged up to them.

"Okay, maybe she's not coming," Rush said as they watched David approach.

"What?" Jager spat as David approached them.

David reached their side and stood between the two men, his hands meeting behind his back. He turned to Rush and gave him a slight nod before turning to Jager.

"Woah, Jager, don't look at Dave like that, you might make him combust," Rush said with a smirk.

"I would never normally, except he forgot my bride," Jager grumbled.

"I did no such thing," David replied, a smirk now crossing his face too. As Jager stared at the two men, both now smirking at him, his shoulders slumped slightly in defeat.

"You know, I knew it was going to be tough entering the castle atmosphere, but you guys are ruthless."

"Hey buddy," Rush whispered, reaching out to slap him on the back. "Better shut up or you'll miss your wedding."

At Rush's words Jager's eyes flew to the back of the room. There stood Torgal, standing with Emmy as she straightened her dress one final time. A smile spread over David's face as he watched Torgal reach out and smooth a piece of Emmy's hair.

"Congratulations Jager," David whispered, leaning towards him.

"Yeah 'grats man," Rush added, brushing David's shoulder as he too leaned towards Jager. David turned towards him, their faces slightly closer than normal, and they shared a smile as they straightened themselves upright to watch the ceremony.

* * *

David slipped away from the celebration after a short while, taking his glass of champagne out onto the balcony. He was happy for Emmy, maybe even a little bit jealous, as she'd found someone she loved and was building a life together with him. David's duties had always come first, but now as it was nearing his twenty-third birthday, he realized how much he wanted someone to share his time with; to talk about what they did at the end of the day.

As he leaned against the cool stone of the balcony's ledge, he looked up at the sky. He immediately found Lenne's color among the stars.

"Whatcha doin' out here?" David heard from behind him. He made no move to acknowledge the voice, knowing already that it was Rush, who had joined him on the balcony. His friend moved to his side, following David's gaze upwards to the sky.

"You're thinking about her," Rush said quietly, leaning his elbow onto the banister of the balcony.

"I can't stop thinking about her son," David finally spoke, his eyes unmoving from the moon above them in the sky. "And what she must have felt through all this." He paused, and Rush could see his forehead covered in stress creases.

"Losing your parents, your husband and your child, all at once. And then finding out that what killed them wasn't really dead after all. It's like a nightmare. And after we found that letter, I realized that she knew she might not be coming back. She was ready to do it, and I hate her for it." David blurted out all at once, his voice gradually rising in volume. An anger that he knew was irrational, was seeping into his thoughts about Lenne, but he couldn't keep it at bay.

"You don't hate her," Rush replied instantly, not needing to consider the thought before vocalizing it. David stood silent before him for a moment, his eyes unfocused and distant.

"No," he finally replied. "I don't. I just-" David paused, exhaling a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "I just wish I'd known."

Rush looked down at his champagne glass as they stood next to each other in silence. His lips were pinched tightly together in thought for a moment before he lifted the slender glass to his lips and drained its contents.

"You felt something for her," he said, lowering his glass down to the stone surface of the balcony. "I saw it." Rush remembered that moment on the transportation pad in the graveyard. Through the pain ripping through his belly, he had turned and seen David and Lenne's hands pressed together through the barrier just before they had plunged into oblivion. The look on David's face had broken his heart.

David now stood facing the accusation without a hint of shame. He glanced sideways at his old friend, and after a long silence finally spoke.

"You're right," he told Rush. "She…" David paused to collect his thoughts, and Rush gave him the time he needed.

"She brought me back to life after you."

Rush quickly turned his gaze away from him, looking off over Athlum stretching before him. "I…" he tried to say something in response, but it was lost on his tongue.

"It's true," David edged on, turning to face his friend fully. "You had to have known."

"I did," Rush replied, leaning his elbows onto the banister and refusing to look at David. "And…I'm sorry," he croaked out, his voice catching on the last word.

"Don't be," David stated, a slight edge of authority seeping into his voice. "I know you did what you had to do."

Rush turned back to his friend… the first real friend he'd ever made; a man his age that was carrying the weight of a nation on his shoulders. And yet… this man had befriended him and helped him when he had no one else to turn to. And the tears he had shed when Rush had left this world had burned into his heart like acid on paper.

"Dave…" Rush uttered almost as quietly as a whisper, yet he could _feel _that Dave had heard it. And in that word was everything; the thanks for support, the regret of abandonment, the relief of being returned home and an apology for the cost of his return. David felt all of these in that single word, and reached out for Rush. He gripped the back of the younger man's hand, and in that motion was what Rush needed; understanding, forgiveness, and acceptance.

"Just don't do anything like that ever again," David said finally, trying to sound serious, but unable to keep the hint of humor out of his tone. Rush chuckled and turned his hand upwards, grasping David's tightly.

"I'll try not to."

Dave swallowed the lump that was slowly forming in his throat as his eyes turned back to the sky. He could feel his cheeks becoming warm as he realized that neither of them was pulling their hand away from the others'.

"Rush, what are you going to do now?" He finally blurted out the question that had been worrying him since they returned to Athlum.

"Dave, I was up there for fifteen years. I lived a whole other life completely alone. And the worst part was remembering how you looked that last time I saw you. You were crying…" Surprising himself with his boldness, Rush reached up with his free hand to touch David's cheek. David's breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened in surprise. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest and was sure that Rush could feel how warm his cheeks suddenly felt.

"Even though I was alone so long, I knew you were alone too," Rush said quietly, and leaned forward to press his forehead against David's. David closed his eyes, his throat suddenly becoming tight at Rush's words.

"Is it okay if I stay?" Rush whispered to him. David instantly reached out and wrapped his arms around Rush's shoulders, and Rush returned his embrace just as tightly. Neither said a word, for it was unnecessary.

The moment was ended by the sound of a popping champagne cork just inside the door, where the reception for Emmy's wedding was being held. Rush and David parted quickly, Rush reaching up to ruffle the back of his hair and David smoothing the front of his jacket. They looked away from each other, slightly embarrassed, before eventually turning back to each other and sharing a nervous chuckle.

"We should probably get back to the party," Rush said quietly, his eyes darting between David and the door.

"Alright," he said, turning towards the door, hoping that his friend could not sense his disappointment that their moment together was over. They had taken a few slow steps towards the door when David suddenly decided that he'd had enough regret in his life. Rush let out a small gasp of surprise as David reached out and quickly pulled him close by his jacket collar. David's lips found Rush's an instant later, and David's eyes slipped closed. They both stood frozen, David's heart pounding in his chest in nervousness and excitement. A moment later when he felt Rush's fingers brush against his jaw, he could not stop himself from smiling against his lips.

When they finally pulled away from each other, their eyes met as smiles nervously crept onto their faces.

"I apologize-" David started, but Rush cut him off.

"Don't be sorry. Not at all," the younger boy said. "Fifteen years is a long time to think about what you want."

David raised his eyebrows in interest. "And what did you decide on?"

"This, Dave. It's always been this."

* * *

The End.

Thank you so much for reading!


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